Home Is Where The Heart Is
by crais's-lady
Summary: Crichton, Morgan, Crais & Aeryn follow a Scarren dreadnaught through a wormhole back to Earth in an attempt to protect their homeworld. Epilogue Up & FINISHED. R&R. Thanks.
1. Prologue

Author's disclaimer: The characters of Farscape belong to Henson Productions. I just borrowed them for a short time.  
  
Authors note: This story is the continuing story of Morgan Langtree and Bialar Crais that I started in "A Little Slice of Earth" and continued in "A Brief Pause In Paradise". It is, I am sure, definitely NOT the final one. As long as you keep asking for more, then you will get it!  
  
Dedication: This one is for: my husband John and my daughter Caitlyn, who thinks D'Argo is just the coolest and likes to give "Mommy's Crais" kisses on the TV; my niece Kat; Amber and Joe; Crais' Cohorts; Chesney, thanks for the covers; and everyone who has supported me in my writing, and listened to my stories, even though they didn't know what the frell was going on!  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Scorpius paced his chambers, a stack of readouts in his hand. He glanced at the numbers for at least the tenth time, his mind trying to calculate the correct combination. Scorpius growled in frustration, tossing the sheets to his desk, half of them drifting to the deck in a flurry of plastic. He needed Crichton. He needed the secrets that were still locked in the human's mind, secrets the Ancients had entrusted to him. Scorpius stormed from his chambers, knocking aside crewmen as he searched the carrier for Braca. He found the Lieutenant in the mess hall.  
  
Braca felt eyes on him and he looked up, his eyes meeting the scientist's. He sighed as he lowered his tray to the table and approached Scorpius. "Yes, sir?"  
  
Scorpius smiled, draping his arm around Braca's shoulder. "Find Crichton. Find the Leviathan. I have left him and his friends alone long enough. I am tired of trying to figure out this formula and I am tired of this game."  
  
Braca nodded. "Yes sir. I will have command determine their vector based on their last known coordinates." He watched Scorpius walk away, his eyes narrowing as he returned to his tray of food, now growing cold. Braca sat down and stabbed at the plate, taking a bite and grimacing. Ever since Langtree fixed Scorpius' cooling system, the Peacekeeper scientist had been more demanding and just downright unbearable at times. Braca dropped his fork as his comm chimed. "What?" he snapped.  
  
"Sir, the marauder has returned. Do you wish to debrief them?" his communication officer answered.  
  
"No. Take care of it and report any unusual findings," he answered, stabbing at his plate again. "And see if you can determine the Leviathan's frelling vector and follow it," he added. Braca scowled, picking up his tray and slipping into the slot. It was going to be a long day.  
  
If the Lieutenant knew what was transpiring on the other side of the sector, the Leviathan, food and John Crichton would've been the last things on his mind.  
  
Copyright 2002 Beth A. Carpenter 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Commander John Crichton paced Talyn's corridors in frustration, the buzzing in the back of his head growing louder and more insistent. He glanced at the bridge doors, not daring to even try and gain access. He wasn't stepping one foot on the bridge until things settled down. Crais was in a foul mood, his cousin Morgan in an even fouler one, and Aeryn was trying to mediate between the two. Crichton leaned against the bulkhead, his eyes closed as he let himself slide down the side to land on the floor. He hung his head between his arms as he pulled up his knees and propped them there. The last time the buzzing had bothered him like this was almost a cycle ago, the day Morgan appeared in the Uncharted Territories.  
  
Crichton leaned his chin on his upper arm, staring at the doors, the muffled voices rising and falling. Once again, he and Aeryn found themselves stranded on Talyn when a Peacekeeper retrieval squad came calling. And once again, they had no idea where Moya and the others were. He moaned in aggravation, banging his head on the bulkhead until he finally had had enough. In one smooth move, Crichton was up and marching to the bridge, waving his hand over the panel. To his surprise, the doors opened and he stepped inside.  
  
"Five minutes ago you thought it was a good idea and so did Talyn!" Morgan yelled as Crichton stepped in.  
  
"That was before we analyzed the amount of time and resources it would take to run the conduits." Crais threw his hands up, pointing to the ceiling. "It is not feasible Morgan!"  
  
Morgan stepped up to him, her hands on her hips. Crichton gazed at his cousin, noticing for the first time the changes in her since she had arrived. Gone were her blue jeans, a pair of Peacekeeper leathers encasing her legs, a simple black tank top and military boots completing the ensemble. Aeryn's doing, he thought to himself. He looked at the muscles in her arms, knowing that she had not been someone to mess with on Earth, let alone now. Crais' doing, he begrudgingly admitted. Her hair had grown long enough to pull up in a ponytail and the transponder blinked at the base of her neck. He looked at Crais. The Captain's hair was unbound, his uniform jacket open, almost casual. Morgan's doing.  
  
"It is feasible, you stubborn jackass. And if all of us work on it, with the DRD's, we can get it done in less than a week," she snapped, poking Crais in the chest.  
  
Crichton caught a glimpse of blue from the viewport. "Hey guys?" he said, moving towards them.  
  
"Where do you propose we go for a week where the Peacekeepers will not find us?" he responded, gazing down at her, his eyes hard as he caught her wrist in one hand.  
  
"Guys?" Crichton said a little louder, glancing at Aeryn. She shrugged, folding her arms and shaking her head in defeat.  
  
"Zorosa 3. Shantar told you…" Morgan stated, jerking her hand free.  
  
"No! Out of the question!" Crais yelled. "We will not…"  
  
Crichton sighed and raised his fingers to his lips, whistling long and loud, ending Crais' tirade before it could get started.  
  
Morgan and Crais both looked at Crichton, eyes flashing, tempers still flaring. "What?!" they snapped in unison.  
  
"Wormhole," he answered.  
  
Crais looked at him, blinking once. "Crichton, what are you blathering about?"  
  
Crichton pointed towards Talyn's viewport, stepping between Morgan and her lover. "Worm. Hole." He emphasized each word.  
  
Aeryn, Crais and Morgan all turned to look at where Crichton was pointing. Sure enough, a bright blue wormhole twisted and spun in the blackness of space metras from the gunship's bow.  
  
And in the middle of it was Earth.  
  
"Um, John?" Morgan said quietly, leaning towards her cousin. She pointed at a dark spot moving just inside the outer edge of the wormhole. "What is that?"  
  
Both men squinted at the shape as Morgan moved over to Talyn's propulsion system. "Talyn, identify," Crais called, stepping back to the center of the bridge. The gunship chirped and Morgan spun around to look at Crais, her eyes wide in horror.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me," she said, turning back, her eyes locked on the wormhole.  
  
"What?" Aeryn looked back and forth between the two of them. "What is it?"  
  
"It…is a Scarren dreadnaught," Crais answered, his eyes locking with Crichton's.  
  
"We have to destroy that thing before it can get any further into the wormhole," Morgan declared, her hands flying over Talyn's propulsion system. The gunship burst forward, picking up speed, trying to close the distance between the dreadnaught and them.  
  
"We do not have enough firepower to destroy it," Aeryn answered. She gazed at Morgan, wondering what she was thinking.  
  
Morgan's eyes had narrowed as she watched the dreadnaught. She looked at Crichton, raising a single brown eyebrow.  
  
"No, but we can follow it," Crichton answered, picking up on Morgan's train of thought.  
  
"Are you insane?" Crais demanded. He stared at Morgan, expecting her to back him up.  
  
Morgan's eyes locked with his, determination filling their blue depths. "Talyn, analyze that wormhole. Is it natural or did the Scarren's create it?" she called. It didn't take long for the gunship to answer. Morgan tilted her head at Crais, her hands on her hips, her chin raised in quiet challenge.  
  
"Talyn! Pursue the dreadnaught!" he commanded.  
  
"Somebody want to clue us in here?" Crichton asked as he stepped over to man the weapons console. Aeryn took a place at the system's console, while Morgan returned to propulsion.  
  
"The wormhole was created by the Scarrens. Somehow they unlocked the technology," Crais replied, stepping up to join Morgan.  
  
Aeryn and Crichton looked at each other, then at Crais. "Furlough!" they all said.  
  
Morgan peered around Crais, her eyebrows drawn down in confusion. "Furlough?"  
  
"I'll explain it later," Crichton said, wondering how he was going to tell her about the run in Aeryn, Crais and other Crichton had with the infamous Furlough without telling her about his 'twin'. He watched as the wormhole grew closer, Talyn picking up speed. "Here we go again," he said under his breath.  
  
"Oh man, I hate this part." Morgan closed her eyes against the bright glow of the wormhole, leaning against Crais.  
  
The spirals engulfed Talyn, drawing the gunship in, sucking them back to the Milky Way, back to the Terran solar system and the planet Earth.  
  
  
  
Kira Preston glanced at the monitor and paused, her eyes squinting at the blip that showed up on her radar. She tapped the screen, watching as the line made it's way around the screen. There it was again. "Hey DK. Check this out," she called, waving to her partner. She tapped a few keys, enlarging the image on the monitor. She leaned back in her chair, a satisfied grin on her face.  
  
DK leaned over her shoulder, the green screen reflecting on his face. Kira placed a soft kiss on his cheek as he stared in shock. "Holy mother of…what is it?"  
  
Kira looked up at him and laughed. "Now, if I had the answer to that, would I have called you? My guess is that it's a UFO." They watched as a second blip joined the first, much farther behind. "This is fucked up," Kira hissed, tapping the keys.  
  
DK turned and hurried back to his own console. "Yeah, well, this is Roswell, New Mexico. What'd you expect?" he replied nervously. He adjusted his own screen to watch the mysterious blips. One was moving faster than the other, heading straight towards Earth. His stomach quivered. Rattlesnakes, that's what Crichton called them. Crichton. What made him think of his best friend, gone almost four and a half years? He looked up at the calendar. Morgan had been gone almost a year. "Kira, turn the dishes and block the signal," he called, the rattlers growing.  
  
Kira looked at him, her brown eyes narrowed. "Are you nuts? This is the first…"  
  
"Just do it! I have a hunch!"  
  
Kira shrugged, typing in the command, watching as the huge ground-based dishes began to move. The blips disappeared. She turned in her chair and walked over to DK. "A hunch?" She ran her fingers through her hair. "The last time you had a hunch, Crichton…" She stopped, staring at DK.  
  
DK's eyes met hers and he nodded. "Yeah." He cranked up the radio transponder. "Do me a favor. Get on the phone to Jack."  
  
  
  
Crichton and Morgan stood together staring as the spinning blue orb before them. The dreadnaught had fallen back, hiding in the shadows of Jupiter. Morgan had taken Talyn to Earth's moon, using it to keep out of both Earth's and the Scarren's sensor range, but staying just at the edge of Talyn's own systems, the gunship keeping a close watch on the Scarrens.  
  
Crichton rubbed his chin. "I have been dreaming of this," he whispered, leaning his arms on the viewport ledge.  
  
Morgan crossed her arms, her feet planted firmly apart. "Minus the dreadnaught I hope." Her face was serious, concern etched across it. Talyn had taken a beating coming through the wormhole and it was taking everything in her and Crais' power to keep him going.  
  
Crichton looked at her. "Yeah. Minus the dreadnaught." He turned away from the view of Earth, leaning against the bulkhead. "Although, I expected to come home in something other than a Peacekeeper hybrid Leviathan gunship."  
  
Morgan smiled, turning away. "Well, you can't have everything, can you?"  
  
"Says who?" Crichton asked indignantly.  
  
Aeryn looked up at them smiling. "So, what is the plan?" she asked as Crichton stepped up to stand next to her.  
  
"Determine why Talyn is losing power," Crais replied as he strode onto the bridge. He looked at the three of them. "We will not be able to maintain orbit for more than 10 arns."  
  
Morgan walked over to the system's console, gazing at the reading displayed on the clamshell in front of them. She bit her upper lip in thought, catching her lip in her teeth for a brief moment. "This is not good," she said quietly.  
  
Crais glanced at her, taking in her profile in the soft bridge lights. "Talyn and I concur that you were correct in your initial damage assessment." His voice rang softly in her head.  
  
Morgan nodded, glancing quickly at Aeryn and Crichton. She had modified the transponders after their little escapade on Zorosa 3, allowing them to broadcast their thoughts through Talyn and eliminating the need for verbal communication during emergencies. The idea had come to her when the Scarrens had captured Crais, when she had displayed a brief moment of hysterics when she had mentally experienced her lover's torture. It was a good thing too, for it had already helped them get out of a few tight jams. "You just can't stand it when I'm right," she thought back, looking at Crais smugly.  
  
Aeryn turned to them. "The power fluxes are worsening," she observed. "Can we safely land on Earp?" She had said it on purpose, trying to draw Morgan back into the conversation, knowing that the human was mentally sparring with Crais.  
  
"Earth," Crichton and Morgan corrected at the same time.  
  
"Earth then," Aeryn commented, a smile tugging at her lips.  
  
Morgan rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Sure, if you don't mind Talyn being dissected by an international science convention."  
  
Crichton's eyes lit up. "Roswell," he remarked, snapping his fingers as he turned to look at his cousin. He smiled. "Roswell, New Mexico."  
  
Morgan's eyes grew as wide as quarters. "The back up plan. ET capital of the world," she laughed, slapping Crichton's hand in a high five. She noticed the confused looks on Crais and Aeryn's faces as they stepped closer to each other, arms crossed, looking almost like a Peacekeeper recruitment poster. "Trust us. You're on our old stomping ground now."  
  
  
  
Jack Crichton looked over the data sheets, an expression of utter shock mixed with slight hope on his tan face. "Are you sure?" He glanced at DK, the wind whipping his white hair. "I mean, it could just be a glitch in the system."  
  
"Honestly, sir, no, I'm not sure. But it's as good a…" DK paused, looking out over the desert. Something had flashed just within the canyon's entrance, but the sun caused heat waves to dance across the sparsely vegetated area and he wasn't sure if what he saw was real.  
  
"DK! We've got incoming!" Kira called, running out of the complex's main building.  
  
Both men looked at Kira, turning to follow her pointing hand. The flash was back, moving fast through the canyon. DK and Kira, with help from Jack, had set up the listening and observation post shortly after Crichton had disappeared. No debris had been found from Crichton's Farscape module or from Morgan's Osiris shuttle. And the three of them refused to believe that the cousin's were dead. They watched as the unidentified flying object moved towards them.  
  
"DK, get the rifles," Jack commented quietly as they watched the UFO disappear, only to reappear as it made the last turn in the canyon. It glided across the desert before them, moving faster than any human ship could possibly travel. Kira and Jack looked at each other and quickly turned to move back into the building as the ship closed the distance.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Crais asked again, squinting against the bright light that was reflected off the sand below them.  
  
"Yup." Crichton looked at the ex-Peacekeeper. "Look, DK and I always said that if anything happened, this is where we'd meet. I know DK. This is the right place."  
  
Crais looked at him again, his arms folded across his chest. "We will see."  
  
Morgan sighed, stomping her foot on the deck in annoyance. "Cut it out! Both of you! I am sick of this constant bickering!" she demanded. She turned back to the viewport, guiding Talyn through the last canyon turn and out into the open. The buildings grew closer, the huge ground based satellite dishes silent beacons in the sun of mid-day.  
  
"Why don't you both be useful and get some gear together while Morgan and Talyn land? Just in case," Aeryn suggested. She grabbed a handful of Crais' jacket and one edge of Crichton's vest, pushing them through the bridge doors.  
  
Crais stared at the closed doors, waving his hand over the panel. "Talyn! Open the door!" He waved his hand over the panel again, banging one hand on the door when it didn't open. "Talyn!"  
  
"C'mon, Crais. She's not going to let him open the door," Crichton commented, grabbing Crais' arm and pulling him up the corridor.  
  
The Captain glanced back, wrenching his arm from Crichton's grasp. "Your cousin just locked me out of the bridge of my own gunship," he hissed in protest.  
  
Crichton laughed, tossing him a knapsack and pulse pistol. "Yup. Women. Can't live with them, can't shoot them."  
  
Crais looked down at the pulse pistol in his hand, momentarily contemplating the weapon before holstering it. "Oh, I assure you I can. Especially her."  
  
Crichton smiled at him. "Shoot her later. We've got work to do."  
  
  
  
Morgan and Crichton slowly walked down Talyn's ramp, pulse pistols in their hands as they warily looked around the complex. The weather was warm and mild, comfortable for both human and Sebacean. Talyn's bulk provided some shade, his shadow stretching across the sand. They paused as the door to the building slowly opened and instinctively, Crichton and Morgan raised the pulse pistols in their hands. "Here we go," Morgan whispered.  
  
Crais stepped up beside her, his own pistol drawn and aimed. "Let's hope they are your friends," he commented. He heard the whir of mechanical parts moving as Talyn turned his cannons, aiming it at the building. "Stand fast Talyn." Crais watched as three humans walked from the building, two of them carrying what looked like weapons. He cocked his head, recognizing the older human. "Jack Crichton," he remarked.  
  
The sun was in Jack's eyes and he squinted, holding his arm up to shield them. "Who are you?" he called. "What do you want?"  
  
Morgan swallowed past the lump in her throat, laying a gentle hand on Crais' arm as she holstered her pulse pistol. Crichton walked forward, his hands held out, a huge grin on his face. "I want you to take me to your leader. I want you to find me a beer and a pizza and let me sit down to watch a football game."  
  
"John?" Jack said hesitantly.  
  
"I want to know why you ever let Morgan come looking for me," Crichton finished as he stepped up to his father, his voice cracking with emotion.  
  
"She really found you." Jack looked at his son in shock, pulling him into his arms and hugging him tightly. "By god, she actually found you."  
  
"Yeah Dad. She found me." He looked over his shoulder at Aeryn's footsteps crunching on the sand. He noticed Morgan still standing at the bottom of the ramp, Crais beside her. "She's with me," he said, turning back to look at his father.  
  
Crais noticed the stiffness of Morgan's back and he laid his hand on her shoulder. "What is the matter?"  
  
She shook her head, sighing, turning to look up at him. "This scares me more than that Scarren dreadnaught." Morgan smiled softly.  
  
Crais nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead in an unusual public display of affection. "Come. This is your family. You have no reason to be scared," he playfully scolded in a soft voice. They heard Crichton explain the translator microbes and patiently waited as the small DRD Aeryn had carried off of Talyn do its job, the little bio- mechanoid chirping irritably as it rolled through the sand back up the gunship's ramp.  
  
A young woman with sandy brown hair came running up to them, grabbing Morgan in a hug. "Morgan!" Kira yelled. "Thank god you're safe!"  
  
Morgan hugged her best friend, the two women rocking back and forth as they fought back tears. "Yeah. We both are."  
  
Kira stepped back to study Morgan for a moment. "Man you look good!" She gazed at Crais. "Who's this?"  
  
Morgan turned back to her lover, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward. "Kira, this is Bialar Crais. The ship is his."  
  
"Ours," he corrected, glancing down at Morgan.  
  
"Ours."  
  
"Yours?" Kira questioned, pointing to the gunship. She nodded, a smile growing on her face. "Uh-huh. And I'm sure Morgan is yours too."  
  
"Kira!" Morgan laughed.  
  
"What? Uh, Don't even try to deny it," she said, holding out her hand, palm facing Morgan.  
  
"You're still a brat," Morgan remarked as they walked towards the others.  
  
"Yeah well, you're still a bitch, but I won't hold that against you," Kira laughed as Morgan pushed her.  
  
Jack turned at his niece's laughter, watching the young woman walk up to him. She had definitely improved since she had left, her attitude much better than the depression she had been in. "You said you would find him. And you were right." He opened his arms, hugging his niece to him.  
  
Morgan finally let the tears slide down her face as she pulled Crichton into the embrace. "I promised you I would."  
  
  
  
Morgan and John had spent the rest of the day and half the night telling their family of the exploits in the Uncharted Territories. Jack, DK and Kira listened intently as the night grew cooler. Of course, Morgan and John left out certain details, such as the neural clone, and Crichton's twin. And Morgan's neural transponder. The questions flew at them faster than they could answer them and Aeryn and Crais were both surprised at they way they calmly explained the situation that led them back through the wormhole to Earth.  
  
They had hidden Talyn in an old military hangar on the complex, just big enough to accommodate the growing Leviathan comfortably. The elder Crichton and Kira had toured Talyn, DK keeping an eye out for any intruders. They were astonished at the Leviathan, excited and mildly frightened by the living ship.  
  
It was to Crais' surprise that he found Morgan already running a system's analysis early the next morning. She had crawled into bed exhausted, asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. He listened quietly as Morgan and Talyn conversed. She had an easy report with the gunship, a report that even he did not have. The only other person he had seen speak to Talyn so easily had been Aeryn.  
  
"I know, my friend. We'll get it fixed and solve the Scarren problem and head home. I promise," she replied to Talyn. Morgan smiled. "Yes Talyn. I am sure Bialar is as concerned as we are, but you know how he is. Rest, okay?" The gunship chirped softly.  
  
Crais leaned his frame in the doorway, one hand propped on the bulkhead. "This is your home, Morgan," Crais remarked softly.  
  
Morgan turned at his voice. He noticed the notebook and pen in her hand, wondering what she was writing. He still could not comprehend the complicated language Morgan and Crichton referred to as English and he gave up trying. Morgan moved over to the propulsion system, jotting down another note. "Nope. Not since I met you. My home is here on Talyn, you know that." She looked at him, surprised to see him out of uniform, his muscular arms bare in the soft lights of the bridge. His hair brushed his shoulders in waves that Terran women would be jealous of. A smile lit her face and she licked her lips. "Damn," she whispered in admiration.  
  
Crais smiled as he approached her. "Then…you are not planning on remaining here?" he asked.  
  
Morgan laid the notebook and pen on a console, turning to face Crais. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her into his arms. "Do you want me to? Tired of me already?" she whispered.  
  
Crais shook his head, his eyes boring into hers. "No. But…if that is your desire, then Talyn and I will remain here with you." He pulled her up against him, trapping her between the console and his body.  
  
"Bialar, you're from a space faring race. You'd be grounded here and miserable. And Talyn…" She raised her eyebrows, a sad expression on her face as she silently shook her head. "I'd rather be running from the Peacekeepers and the Scarrens, exploring the Uncharted Territories, than do that to either one of you." Her face was set in lines of determination. "I'm going back with you and nothing will change my mind."  
  
"Then…we are in agreement." His lips met hers in a passionate kiss.  
  
"I can come back later," Kira said from the doorway, a teasing grin on her face. She wondered just what Morgan and her lover were in agreement about and made a mental note to herself to ask.  
  
Morgan leaned her forehead on Crais' chest, sighing. "Her timing is as impeccable as always," she whispered.  
  
"Huh? What? What about my timing?" Kira asked, her eyebrows shooting up only to be lost by the unruly bangs that curled on her forehead. She looked at Morgan questioningly.  
  
"Nothing Kira." Morgan turned from Crais, picking up her pen and quickly jotting down another note in the book, clearing the panel. "You and DK have friends around here where we can get some supplies?" she asked, leaning around Crais to peer at another panel.  
  
Kira laid her equipment bag down, gazing around the bridge. She noticed Crais' arm still circling Morgan's waist possessively, his brown eyes following her every move. "What kind of supplies?"  
  
"Conduit. Wires. Electrical dren…shi…stuff," Morgan answered, turning to face her friend, catching herself. She had to remember where she was and that not everything would translate properly.  
  
"Yeah. How much?" Kira propped her hands on her hips.  
  
"Enough to sufficiently rewire Talyn," Crais responded as he turned from checking the gunship's power levels.  
  
Kira's eyes almost popped out in surprise. "He's kidding, right?" she said, pointing at Crais.  
  
Crais folded his hands behind his back, staring at Kira haughtily. "No. I am serious."  
  
Morgan suppressed at smile. "Crais doesn't kid," she commented, taking Kira's arm, leading her off the bridge. "I'll be back in a few arns."  
  
"Arns?" Kira asked, looking at Morgan.  
  
Crais shook his head, listening to Morgan explain the concept of an arn. He turned back to the console, watching the power levels rise and fall drastically, the display very disturbing.  
  
Copyright 2002 Beth A. Carpenter 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter TWO  
  
Kira sped along the road towards the city of Roswell, Ozzy blaring on the stereo. She noticed Morgan bouncing her head in time with the heavy metal, singing at the top of her lungs and smiled. They had taken the t-tops off Kira's car, the wind rustling both women's hair. Some things never changed. But others did. Kira's mind was in turmoil, not knowing what to ask her friend first. She looked at Morgan again. She had definitely changed appearance wise. What else had changed? Kira slammed on the brakes, spinning the Camaro around before getting stopped on the side of the road.  
  
Morgan looked at her. "What's wrong?" she asked, leaning over to turn the radio down.  
  
Kira turned in her seat, reaching over to pull the scarf from Morgan's neck. She had seen something flashing on her friend and stared at the transponder. "What the fuck is that?!" Kira asked, pointing to it. She gazed at Morgan, her mouth wide open in shock. "What have you done?"  
  
Morgan bit her lower lip and sighed, trying not to crack up at the look on Kira's face. "What I always do, Kira. I fixed a problem." She reached back and engaged the privacy mode on the transponder. "You would be the first one to notice it."  
  
Kira leaned back in the driver's seat. "Hey, I know you and I know you didn't leave Earth with this." She looked at Morgan. "You sort of forgot to mention this." Kira leaned forward again, pushing her friend's head down roughly as she inspected the transponder that was lodged in the back of Morgan's neck. "What'd you say this was for?"  
  
Morgan chuckled, pulling her hair to the side. "I didn't."  
  
Kira gently poked the skin around the transponder. "The dang thing looks like one of your cybernetic toys."  
  
Morgan shifted in the seat as Kira sat back. She pulled off her sunglasses. "That's because it is. It's a cybernetic neural transponder. It gives me a direct link to Talyn and Crais."  
  
Kira simply blinked at her as she scratched her temple. "You know, coming from anyone else, I would think they were crazy. From you…" She let out a breath, gazing down the road. She turned back to Morgan. "Crais have one?" Morgan nodded. Kira rubbed her temples, trying to absorb the information. "So you can talk to Crais and control Talyn's systems?" she asked hesitantly, grasping at straws.  
  
"Yup. The three of us work together." Morgan pulled her ankle up on her knee.  
  
"This is like, so…so…Star Trek Voyagerish," Kira blurted.  
  
Morgan chewed on the earpiece of her sunglasses. "Oh honey, this far surpasses that. If you could see what's out there…"  
  
Awkward silence fell between them. A hawk spiraled above the scrub in the distance and Kira watched it as it flew in lazy circles. "You seem happy Morgan. Happier than I've ever seen you," Kira said softly. She let her eyes drift down the road, settling on the moon that still shone in the morning sky. "You always did look to the stars. You and John." She pulled the car back out onto the road.  
  
Morgan still faced her, carefully wrapping the scarf back around her neck. She knew Crais and Talyn were probably concerned about her, but she really didn't want him listening in on this conversation. Especially since he had offered to remain on Earth with her. "Kira, I'm not staying. I can't speak for John and Aeryn, but as soon as Talyn is fixed and we figure out what to do with the dreadnaught, I'm returning to the Uncharted Territories with Crais and Talyn."  
  
Kira nodded, pursing her lips. "I figured as much," she chuckled. "Especially after witnessing that kiss." She glanced at Morgan, noticing the blush that rose up on her friend's face. She swung the Camaro off the main road, slipping up a side street in Roswell, parking at a small café. "When?"  
  
"A couple of days, week at the most." Morgan shrugged. "As long as the Scarrens don't try anything, we have time. But they won't sit still for long."  
  
Kira tucked her tongue in her cheek for a moment. "Well," she said softly, her voice cracking, "let's make the most of it." She swallowed past the lump in her throat, thankful for the sunglasses perched on her nose. If Morgan had seen the unshed tears in her eyes, they both would've broke down. "It's obvious you love him. Does he love you?"  
  
Morgan smiled. "Oh yeah. Outward signs of affection around others are not Crais' style. His military training has a lot to do with it and he's opened up more than I would have ever expected. But when we're alone…" She lowered her sunglasses, tilting her head and glancing at Kira, raising her eyebrows up and down.  
  
Kira started to smile, breaking into laughter. She held up her hands. "I don't want to know."  
  
  
  
Crichton and Aeryn walked onto Talyn's bridge, DK and Jack behind them. DK looked around in wonder, getting his first glimpse of the Leviathan. Crichton looked at Crais. "My boy Crais!" He looked around. "Where's your better half?"  
  
Crais turned from the console, ignoring Crichton's jibe. "She went to secure the supplies we need to rewire Talyn."  
  
Crichton stared at him and began to laugh. "Sounded like you said rewire Talyn," he remarked, wiping his eyes. Crais' scowl only made him start laughing again. "Whoa! How'd she talk you into that?"  
  
The Captain stood firm on the deck, hands behind his back. It was all he could to not lash out and punch the human. "She didn't. Talyn's power fluxes…forced this course of action," he replied quietly, an edge to his voice.  
  
Aeryn walked over to stand next to Crais, hands on her hips. "In other words," she stated, "Morgan told you she was doing it and that was that."  
  
Crais actually had the nerve to look sheepish. "Essentially, yes." He peered at Crichton. "The DRD's have already started to pull the wiring on all non-essential systems." He turned back to the panel.  
  
DK and Crichton exchanged glances. "Is that a good idea?" he asked.  
  
Crichton nodded. "It won't hurt anything." He looked around the bridge, noticing the busy DRD's along the backside of the consoles. "With us being on Earth, Talyn can safely power down the life support systems."  
  
"And we do not have much time," Crais added. He looked at DK and Jack, starting towards the bridge doors. "Which leads me to the next issue. Morgan and I will not be able to remain on Talyn at night. With the life support system shut down, he will not be able to maintain the heat necessary to keep Morgan comfortable." He noticed the glaring look coming from Jack. "We need a place to stay."  
  
Jack stepped up to Crais, gazing down at the Captain. "Two rooms or one?" he asked, challenge in his voice. After all, Morgan was still his niece. They stood there, lover and uncle, eyes locked in a silent battle.  
  
"Uh, Dad?" Crichton remarked, his face reddening slightly as he looked at Aeryn.  
  
"You and Morgan can stay at my place," DK offered, nudging the older Crichton. Jack turned away and walked off the bridge. "You can have the extra guest room next to John and Aeryn."  
  
Crais looked at Crichton, eyebrows raised, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Thank you, DK," he said, still gazing at his lover's cousin. Talyn chirped excitedly and he looked up. "Good. Morgan and Kira have returned." He strode off the bridge without another word, heading for the access ramp.  
  
"Man, he's got an attitude," DK observed, shaking his head as he watched Crais stalk down the corridor.  
  
Aeryn chuckled, looking knowingly at Crichton. "You should see Crais when he's in a bad mood."  
  
  
  
Crais and Morgan stood in the kitchen of DK's home, the ex-Peacekeeper watching from the doorway as Morgan stood at the stove cooking. They were the only two still awake, Talyn's restlessness affecting them both. The Leviathan did not like being left alone on this strange planet, but he understood it was necessary. Morgan picked up a handful of onions, tossing them on the egg in the frying pan. "The conduits will be delivered tomorrow morning, the spools of wire sometime in the afternoon."  
  
"And how do you propose to pay for the supplies, Morgan? I seriously doubt Peacekeeper credits or retri will be acceptable here," he commented, watching as she folded the egg over a colorful collection of vegetables she had been adding.  
  
Morgan popped a piece of cheese in her mouth as she put everything back in the refrigerator. "Uncle Jack was the executor of my parent's will. He assured me that there was more than enough money left to cover the cost." She split the omelet in half, sliding it onto two plates, setting them on the table. Morgan turned and retrieved the two cups of coffee she had poured, sitting down across from Crais, watching as he hesitantly took a taste of the eggs. "Well?"  
  
The look on his face was all the answer she need as she dived into her own eggs. "This is…very good," he said in surprise. He smiled at her. "Better than some of the food we have been forced to consume in the last cycle." He took another bite, motioning with his fork. "This…wire. Are you certain it will be strong enough to accommodate Talyn's systems?"  
  
Morgan nodded, setting her coffee mug down. "Kira analyzed the power fluxes and the current wiring on Talyn now. It's a #12 wire in shielded cable. The conduit she's using is cathodic protected, so none of Talyn's internal fluids will harm it." She took another mouthful of egg.  
  
"What about growth considerations?" he asked quietly.  
  
"I thought of that too." Morgan sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I had Kira take Talyn's size into consideration and multiply by three. I realize he may never get quite that big, but I'd rather have excess wire hanging around than not enough," she answered.  
  
Crais nodded approvingly. "Good work." He set his fork down on the empty plate. "And I was under the mistaken impression that you were a systems engineer and cybernetic specialist."  
  
Morgan smiled, standing up. "I am. Kira's the electrical engineer," she remarked. "How do you think the two of us ever got the right amount of supplies?" She put the plates in the sink. "Quit worrying, Bialar. Everything's compatible." Morgan leaned against the sink, her brow wrinkled in thought. "Tell me about Furlough."  
  
Crais looked at her. "Furlough is…a so-called scientist who is in the profit business," he started. "She is an…unsavory individual who figured out how to make a stable wormhole with…" He stood up, pausing as he began to pace the kitchen. He looked at Morgan. "I don't know what Crichton called it. But it worked. She was planning on selling it to the highest bidder and…the Scarrens moved in on her, stealing the formula from her databanks before Crichton could destroy the computer."  
  
Morgan listened, wondering where this Furlough was now. "John said he destroyed the dreadnaught."  
  
Crais stroked his goatee. "He did. But not before they had sent out a data transmission with the formula."  
  
"Then every Scarren dreadnaught and all of their allies could conceivably have the formula to create a stable wormhole." Crais simply nodded, a grim expression on his face. She poured herself another cup of coffee, walking over to the back door and looking out the window. "Well, I suppose we'll have to do this one dreadnaught at a time." Morgan sipped her coffee, gazing at the full moon.  
  
Crais stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Since there is nothing we can do right now, would you like to go outside?" he asked softly, his breath warm on her neck, his lips even warmer.  
  
Morgan smiled, leaning back against him and tilting her head. "No," she answered, reaching up with her hand to stroke his face.  
  
"Then…what would you like to do?" he whispered, trailing his lips down her neck to her shoulder, pushing the strap of her tank top aside. He couldn't get enough of her.  
  
Morgan placed the cup of cooling coffee on the counter and turned in his arms. She leaned her hands on the counter, hopping up and pulling Crais to stand between her legs as she wrapped them around his hips. "Oh, I was thinking maybe we could…uh…"recreate" for a while," she answered mischievously." Morgan wrapped her arms around his neck as Crais kissed her, sliding her off the counter and carrying her back to their room.  
  
Neither one of them noticed the shadow in the shape of a dreadnaught pass across the full moon.  
  
  
  
The next morning dawned bright and warm. Morgan stared out the window of DK's office as he rummaged for something in his desk. She could hear Aeryn and Jack laughing about something and looked at DK. "You still have John's bike?" she asked curiously.  
  
DK looked up at her oddly and stood, closing the cabinet he had been digging in. "Yeah. Why?"  
  
She shrugged. "I have this urge to go for a ride." Her face grew wistful as she gazed out the window. "Okay, so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic."  
  
"I'd say." He walked from the office, Morgan behind him. "Morgan, you haven't been out on a motorcycle since John disappeared."  
  
"So?"  
  
DK stopped outside the garage door, picking a set of keys off the rack. "You can borrow mine."  
  
Morgan giggled and kissed DK, slipping past him and into the garage. She heard a noise from the back of the room and the huge door began to open on it's own. She looked from the door to her cousin, who was pushing his motorcycle towards it. "Great minds think a like," she commented, holding up DK's keys.  
  
Crichton nodded. "You too, huh?" He squinted out the door as Crais came walking towards the house. "What's the chance we can talk the good Captain and Officer Sun into riding with us?"  
  
Morgan looked at her cousin, a devilish twinkle in her eyes. "Leave Bialar to me," she purred, sashaying out of the garage towards Crais.  
  
That evening, after much cajoling, begging and daring on Crichton and Morgan's part, they were speeding down the two-lane road towards Roswell, Crais and Aeryn holding onto them with death grips, Crichton and Morgan laughing like two teenagers, the motorcycles thrumming.  
  
"Now I know you're frelling crazy!" Aeryn yelled to Crichton, thankful her hair was braided tightly. In a way, she was having fun riding the strange Earth vehicle.  
  
"Baby, I've been telling you that for four cycles," he answered, turning his head just enough for his words to make it to Aeryn and not get lost in the whoosh of air. He peered over at Crais, reveling in the look of panic that was plastered on the ex-Peacekeeper Captain's face. "I don't think Bialar is enjoying the ride," he called. "I just don't think he is having any fun!"  
  
Aeryn wasn't about to admit to Crichton how much fun she was having, how invigorating it was to have the wind in her face. "You call this fun?" she teased.  
  
Crichton nodded, turning the throttle and speeding up, Morgan hot on his tail. They stopped at a small gas station outside of Roswell, gassing up the bikes and grabbing some snacks. He looked at Morgan. "You should feel guilty going out joyriding while Kira works on Talyn.  
  
Morgan snorted, licking the last of her ice pop off of the stick. "Are you kidding? She'd have kicked me off of Talyn before she even got started. You know how she is."  
  
The color had finally returned to Crais' face and he watched the sun setting, casting purple and red hues on the clouds. "Talyn is welcoming the new system."  
  
"I bet." Crichton looked at Aeryn. "You're awfully quiet."  
  
She looked at him. "Sorry. I was just thinking." She swung her leg over the back of Crichton's bike. "Shall we head back?"  
  
As soon as they pulled away from the station, the manager picked up the phone. "Hello, IASA? You'll never believe this, but I think I just saw your two missing astronauts. Yeah, I'll hold…"  
  
  
  
"No. You're driver's license expired two years ago. I'll drive," Morgan laughed, grabbing the keys to Jack's car. She slid into the driver's seat, starting up the car.  
  
"What's your point?" Crichton asked, slamming the passenger door. The pizza lay on the back seat, steam rising from the box, a six-pack of Coor's Light on the floor.  
  
Morgan looked at her cousin. "Your driving scares me." She started the car and pulled away from the pizza shop, turning down the road that led back to the complex. They had been on Earth for three days.  
  
Crichton's mouth dropped open. "Oh, this is coming from the woman whose mother wrecked five cars in five years."  
  
Morgan glanced at him, an incredulous look on her face. "That was low, John." She was trying not to laugh. "And it was six."  
  
"Six?"  
  
"Six. She wrecked one the year after you disappeared, but it doesn't count. A deer ran out in front of her."  
  
"It does too count. And you're flying scares me. You're a maniac in that Prowler. Crais should have never taught you how to fly it."  
  
"You're just jealous," she laughed.  
  
"No. Just honest." He looked over his shoulder at the headlights behind them. "Is it me, or are they following a bit too close?"  
  
Morgan peered in the rearview mirror. "No, they're too close." The hairs on the back of neck stood up. "Something's not right."  
  
Crichton turned back around. "Did you notice those two guys staring at us in the pizza shop?"  
  
"The suits?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Morgan looked at Crichton. "You don't think…"  
  
A blue and red light began to flash behind them as another car passed the first and Morgan pulled to the side. She fished in her back pocket for her driver's license, hoping no one recognized her name. The cop walked up to the car. "Driver's license and registration please."  
  
Morgan handed the trooper the papers, her stomach clenching. She couldn't get a hold of Crais and Talyn since the comm systems were down. That was all they needed. She looked up at the cop as he stepped back up to the car. "Is there a problem officer?"  
  
"Ma'am, could you and your companion please step out of the car?"  
  
Crichton looked at her. "You should've let me drive. I could've outrun them," he whispered.  
  
"Not in this thing."  
  
Crichton and Morgan both got out, and they leaned against the driver's side of the car as the two suits approached them from behind the state patrol cruiser. The trooper looked at the men. "Are these the two?" he asked.  
  
One of them nodded, pulling something from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. "Oscar Kramer, Air Force Military Police." He showed them the badge, Crichton and Morgan's stomachs dropping at the IASA logo in the corner. "Commander Crichton, Captain Langtree, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to come with us."  
  
Crichton stood up. "What for?"  
  
Kramer looked at his partner. "Well, sir. You are under arrest."  
  
"What?" Morgan yelled as the trooper approached her.  
  
The other MP approached Crichton. "What is this about?" Crichton asked.  
  
"Absence with out leave, sir, and willful destruction of government property," the other MP replied, slapping a pair of handcuffs on Crichton. He pushed him towards their car.  
  
Morgan lashed out at the trooped, taking him in the throat with the side of her hand, the cop dropping to the road gagging. She grabbed the handle of Jack's car, trying to open the door as Kramer's body slammed against her, the barrel of his 9 mm against her head. "Captain Langtree, please."  
  
Morgan sighed and put her hands up, allowing him to handcuff her and lead her along. She slid into the seat beside Crichton as Kramer checked the trooper. Satisfied the man was okay, he slipped into the driver's seat, pulling the car back onto the road towards Roswell. "Mind telling us what the hell is going on?"  
  
The other MP turned and looked at them. "You were positively identified by a contact in Roswell. We have reason to believe that both of you hijacked your own ships and somehow managed to return to Earth without being discovered. And you have been living in Roswell for the last 4 and one half years and ten months respectively," he answered, looking at Crichton and then Morgan.  
  
"Where does the willful destruction of property come in?" Crichton snapped.  
  
"You destroyed the Osiris and Farscape after landing," Kramer added.  
  
Morgan glanced sideways at Crichton. "That's a bit thin, isn't it?"  
  
"Well Captain, unless you have a better explanation, that's what IASA will charge you with." Kramer looked at them in the rear view mirror. "I would advise hiring a really good lawyer."  
  
Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter 


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Kira looked at the jumbled pile of wires at her feet, her annoyance growing by the minute. She raked her fingers through her hair, turning around in a circle to view the mess, the DRD's chirping in their strange mechanical way. She shook her head, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. Kira tapped the comm badge she had pinned to her t-shirt. "Morgan!"  
  
Crais walked into Talyn's small medical bay. "She and Crichton have not yet returned. What seems to be the problem?" he asked. He was beginning to get concerned. With the long-range communications down, he had no way of contacting his lover. It should not have taken this long to go into Roswell and return.  
  
Kira looked at the alien Captain, thrusting a handful of multi-colored wires at him. "You see this?" She indicated to the mess surrounding them. "Your DRD's just spent the last hour pulling these."  
  
Crais looked at her, brown eyes wide in question. "And?"  
  
Kira blinked at him, mumbling in Japanese. She grabbed the wires. "You dipshit! These were the wires we spent five hours installing yesterday!" She turned away from Crais, leaning down to pick up one of the DRD's. She held it up to her eyes, staring at the little yellow bio-mechanoid, it's antennas rotating in alarm. "Rerun these wires, R2D2, or I'll pull your eye antennas out." She set the DRD down, feeding wires to it as it and the others began to fix the mess.  
  
Crais closed his eyes momentarily, shaking his head. "Talyn, please instruct the DRD's to coordinate their efforts with Miss Preston and to not pull any more wires before she approves it." He looked at Kira in expectation.  
  
"Thank you," Kira sighed, kneeling down to begin untangling another pile of wires. She looked up when Aeryn walked in.  
  
Crais had worked with Aeryn long enough to tell by the look on her face something was wrong. "What is it?" he asked quietly.  
  
Aeryn looked at him as Kira stood up. "Jack just got a phone call from Crichton. He said something about the local law enforcement picking them up."  
  
Kira stepped over a DRD, walking to stand next to Crais. "The Police?"  
  
Aeryn gazed at her. "It seems Crichton and Morgan have been arrested."  
  
"What in the hell for?" Kira gasped. She could feel the bile rising in her throat. Her eyes turned to Jack as he and DK walked into the medical bay, both men pale with the consequences of Morgan and Crichton's arrest.  
  
Jack exhaled, looking down and composing himself, hands on his hips. He looked at the others. "Someone made a positive id of John and Morgan and called IASA. They were taken into custody on charges of willful destruction of government property and going AWOL."  
  
DK saw the confused look on Aeryn's face. "Absent without leave," he supplied.  
  
"Yes, I know what it means, thank you," Aeryn snapped.  
  
Kira's face blanched. "The Farscape and the Osiris," she whispered.  
  
Crais folded his hands behind his back, his mind running through various scenarios. "Crichton's Farscape module is here on Talyn," he provided.  
  
"Where's the Osiris?" DK asked.  
  
Aeryn propped her hands on her hips, speculating on what Crais was planning. "The Osiris was destroyed shortly after Morgan arrived in the Uncharted Territories. We used it as a ruse to save Crais."  
  
"You destroyed the Osiris?" DK asked crestfallen.  
  
"Right now, that's not either here or there," Jack interrupted. "We can't reveal your presence, or else we will be swamped by military personnel and you all will be in physical danger, not just Talyn."  
  
DK looked at the older Crichton. "So what do we do now?"  
  
Crais looked at them. "Talyn's sensors are picking up a large amount of vehicles heading this way."  
  
DK and Jack both sighed. "It took them long enough." Jack turned on one heel, pointing back at Crais and the others. "Listen, you stay here and keep working. Those vehicles are bound to be military personnel."  
  
"But this is private property, Jack," Kira called.  
  
"Yeah, but it won't keep them from snooping around or getting a warrant to search the compound," he called back, leaving Aeryn, Crais and Kira staring at each other.  
  
Kira watched as Crais' face grew dark with anger. "Now what do we do?" she asked quietly, fear gnawing at her belly. Not fear for herself, but for her new friends and the wonderful living ship known as Talyn.  
  
Crais and Aeryn's eyes met in quiet resolve. Both let their Peacekeeper training take hold. "We mount a rescue mission," he simply declared.  
  
  
  
"I already told you it is for an experiment I have been working on," Morgan answered. "Look at my file, you moron. You'll see I have a PhD in cybernetic engineering."  
  
Crichton laid a hand on her arm. "Easy Morgan. No matter what we say, they aren't going to listen to us." He looked up at her, shaking his head. "You know how IASA pencil necks are."  
  
Morgan looked at him and sat down reluctantly, leaning back in the chair and folding her arms. They had been fighting with IASA's representatives and lawyers for two days. She had managed to keep them from removing the transponder, forcing them to take x-rays, convincing them the links were too deeply established. She had overheard the doctors using the words 'study' and 'scan' and didn't care for the idea of being dissected in the name of science, now knowing what a guinea pig felt like.  
  
The lawyer stood up, tossing her hair over one shoulder as she closed her folders, laying them in her briefcase. "IASA has asked for a lie detector test as well as full psychiatric evaluations." She gazed at them. "As soon as I know when they are scheduled, I will let you know." She shut her briefcase and walked out, leaving Crichton and Morgan alone.  
  
"We are in deep dren," Crichton whispered. He leaned his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes. "This is ridiculous."  
  
"Still wanting to stay on Earth?" Morgan asked. The back of her neck was sore from all the tests the doctors had performed, damaging the transponder in the process. Now she couldn't feel Talyn, let alone try to get a message to him.  
  
Crichton leaned back in his chair, taking Morgan's hand. "We have to get out of here."  
  
"Yeah, but how?" She leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.  
  
"I don't know." Crichton laid his head on hers, staring at the cream colored wall across from him. "But, we've got two ex-Peacekeepers on our side, as well as Dad, Kira and DK. And if I know Aeryn and Crais, they'll have something their sleeves."  
  
Morgan nodded. "I hope so."  
  
  
  
The arrests made Kira and the others work that much faster on Talyn. Jack and DK had held off the military, demanding a search warrant, but for how much longer was anyone's guess. They performed tests on the young Leviathan at night, the flight performance numbers pleasing Crais. Only Talyn's starbursting systems remained unchecked. The underlying worry over both Morgan and Crichton gnawed at him, especially after neither he nor Talyn could contact her. It was if she wasn't there. Whether her transponder's privacy mode was engaged, by choice or by force, Crais didn't know.  
  
Jack walked onto the bridge, breaking him out of his reverie. "They are moving them to Houston." He looked at Crais. "That will be the only time and chance we have to try and rescue them."  
  
Aeryn walked in behind Jack, DK and Kira with her. "When?" She tossed Crais a fresh power pack for his pulse pistol.  
  
"Tonight. They are hoping to avoid a media circus," he answered.  
  
DK ran his fingers through his curly hair. "Yeah, listen to this." He snapped open the morning newspaper. "IASA officials have released confirmation that two missing astronauts have reappeared, apparently living in secret in Roswell, New Mexico. Commander John Crichton and Captain Morgan Langtree were taken into custody after being positively identified by the owner of a local Roswell gas station. It is believed that they masterminded an elaborate plan before Crichton's famous test flight four and a half years ago, the flight that made national headlines when his module disappeared, never to be seen again. Captain Langtree, Crichton's cousin, reenacted Crichton's flight almost eleven months ago, disappearing the same way. No debris was ever found from either ship and IASA believe that they returned to Earth, using the current radar limitations and unusual occurrences that reside in the Roswell area." He closed the paper. "Is this a bunch of bullshit or what?"  
  
"With your military showing so much interest in our location, it will be difficult to keep Talyn hidden any longer," Crais commented. One by one, Talyn triggered his systems, the Leviathan powering up. "So…until we are ready to rescue Commander Crichton and Captain Langtree, we will be hiding elsewhere."  
  
Talyn slowly lifted from the ground, moving carefully out of the hangar into the bright light of day. With a burst of energy that, for once, didn't blow any systems, he rose into the sky, rocketing through the atmosphere, his powerful thrusters easily breaking the hold of Earth's gravity. Crais allowed him to fly free as he quickly headed towards the moon.  
  
"Oh my god!" Kira squeaked, grabbing a hold of DK's arm. The paper slid from his hand to land on the deck in a flood of pages, the front-page article forgotten. The blue sky turned black, the stars glittering around them as Talyn sped towards the moon, his scanners already actively searching for the dreadnaught.  
  
"How many planets are in your solar system?" Aeryn asked Jack, the only human on the bridge whose mouth was not hanging open in awe. She assumed Morgan's spot at the system console.  
  
"Nine," Jack answered, moving to stand next to her.  
  
"The Scarrens have moved to the eighth planet," Crais remarked. "Talyn, stay on the dark side of Earth's moon until we are ready." He turned and looked at DK and Kira, smiling slightly. "There is a better view from the dining area."  
  
DK and Kira managed to get their feet moving, following Crais and the others, heading right to the viewport. "Every kid dreams of this," DK sighed.  
  
Aeryn slipped into a seat around the table, her eyes meeting Crais'. "When you have grown up in space, it loses its luster."  
  
Crais turned to Jack who still stood in the doorway. He stroked his goatee in thought. "How dangerous will it be to bring Talyn back to Earth?"  
  
Jack shook his head. "I don't know. Our military suspects something is happening, even though they don't know what. They are going to be watching the area around Roswell carefully." He paused, taking a deep breath. "You and Talyn are the only escape John and Morgan have."  
  
Aeryn turned at his words, noticing the look of worry that wrinkled Jack's brow. "What do you mean?"  
  
DK tore himself from the viewport to gaze at Aeryn. "If they are found guilty, they will be court marshaled and possibly imprisoned for life. All their research, all their hard work, will be discredited and if IASA pushed it, they could be charged as traitors to the United States."  
  
Jack's gaze froze on the two Sebaceans. "A penalty of death still comes with certain traitorous acts," he added. "I know they will have a better life in the Uncharted Territories than here. At least there, they'll be free."  
  
Crais nodded. "I concur with that assessment." He motioned for Kira and DK to join them at the table, a table that had seen more strategy plans over the last cycle than Crais had ever counted on. "Here is what we will do…"  
  
  
  
"John," Morgan whispered, nudging Crichton.  
  
"What?" he grumbled, lifting his head from where he had his chin propped on his chest.  
  
They bounced with the transport van as it ran over a pothole. They were handcuffed and Morgan slid closer to him. "Can you…can you talk to Harvey whenever you want?" she asked softly, her mind concocting a plan.  
  
Crichton looked at her. "Why?" He gazed at his cousin in the dim light that filtered into the van from the small window that separated them from the front of the vehicle. The radio blared country music, their two guards laughing.  
  
She quickly glanced forward, then shifted in the seat, her back to the cab of the van. "Well, we still have a Scarren dreadnaught to contend with. If Scorp's got any info that…" Morgan noticed the glazed look that came over Crichton's face and she lifted her hands, waving them in front of his eyes. "Well, that's a big yes."  
  
"Hey Harvey! Front and center!" Crichton called in his mind, turning in circles in the blackness that was there.  
  
The landscape shifted before him and he found himself standing in the middle of Roswell, Scorpius walking towards him wearing an 'I Met E.T. In Roswell, New Mexico' t-shirt. "John. It is not like you to come looking for me. I'm honored."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Save it for the funny papers. How do we destroy the dreadnaught?" He fell into step with the neural clone as they headed for a greasy spoon on a side street.  
  
Scorpius stopped and looked at him oddly. "Blow it up. Honestly, John. I thought you were smarter than…"  
  
Crichton stepped in front of the clone. "I know we have to blow it up. How? Talyn does not have enough fire power and in case you forgot, we're on Earth," he answered, pointing to the ground.  
  
Scorpius looked at him thoughtfully. "Earth does not have any weapons powerful enough to destroy it." He pointed at Crichton. "Which means you must come back through the wormhole, bringing the carrier with you." He moved to stand almost nose-to-nose with Crichton, his eyes gleaming in delight. "You have to get the formula from the Scarrens," he happily declared.  
  
Crichton smiled, shaking his head. "Uh-uh, not me buddy."  
  
Scorpius stepped back in surprise. "Who then?"  
  
"Morgan."  
  
"What?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder to the front of the van. She had no idea how long Crichton had been out of it, his eyes staring eerily forward. It was all she could do to hold both of them on the bench as the van traversed the rough road.  
  
Crichton's eyes had cleared and grew wide with sudden realization. He leaned towards her. "Can you still hack?"  
  
"Hack? As in computer hacking?"  
  
"Yeah." Crichton smiled.  
  
Morgan's eyes narrowed. "If we get out of here. Why?"  
  
His smile grew into a triumphant grin. "So we can get the formula from the Scarrens."  
  
  
  
Crais and Aeryn lay flat on their stomachs in the scrub not far from the road. The transport pod was hidden in the wash behind them, powered down so as to not attract any undue attention. The sky was clear, the stars twinkling above them in strange patterns, the waning moon casting odd shadows around them. They could barely see Kira standing next to an old junker that had barely made it to the site they had chosen.  
  
"Something's coming," Kira said, her voice tinny as it filtered through the comm badge. "It's them."  
  
Two military police cars escorted the van, one in front, the other behind. They slowed as Kira waved her hands to catch their attention, pulling to the side of the road. An MP stepped out and walked to the front of his car. "Broke down miss?"  
  
"Yeah. It stopped smoking about ten minutes ago," Kira answered.  
  
Crais raised the pulse rifle, taking aim at the police car. "I'll call a tow…" was all the MP got out as the Captain pressed the trigger, sending a ray of laser fire towards the car.  
  
The car burst into a ball of flame, Kira diving behind the junker as Aeryn fired, making sure there was nothing left of the already burning car. The two Peacekeepers ran towards the van. The MP in the passenger seat of the van slipped out, raising his pistol and aiming at Crais. He never got a shot fired. Crais rose the rifle, swinging it and knocking the man back into the van. He pulled his pulse pistol, firing once, taking out the driver, then shooting the unconscious MP.  
  
The officers in the other car sat in momentary shock as Aeryn moved towards them. The driver managed to get out. "Freeze!" he yelled, his hands shaking as he aimed his 9 mm at her.  
  
Aeryn fired, taking him the chest. His scream echoed across the sand as he fell backwards, his pistol discharging harmlessly in the air. She pulled open the van's door, propping the rifle on her hip. "Sorry I'm late," she said, smiling as Crais stepped up beside her.  
  
"What took you so frelling long?" Crichton asked, hopping out of the van, Morgan right behind him.  
  
"Get these damn things off me," Morgan said, holding her hands in the air, the chains of the handcuffs stretched as far apart as possible. She turned her head as Crais fired, the chains breaking. Movement behind her lover pushed her into action. She grabbed the pulse pistol Crais had holstered and fired, hitting the last MP dead center of his forehead as Kira ran up. She spun on the ball of her foot, firing into the car's engine. It exploded into flames, the hood flying up and back, landing with a loud metallic thud on the road.  
  
Crichton turned to her. "Hey, next time warn somebody before you do that!" he yelled.  
  
"Sorry," Morgan answered. She grabbed Kira's arm, dragging her across the road, following Crais and Aeryn down the wash, Crichton bringing up the rear.  
  
"You just…you…you…" Kira stammered, finally finding her voice as they ran past Aeryn, who had turned to fire upon the junker. By the time the fires died out, no one would be able to determine what had happened.  
  
"Later!" Morgan snapped, pushing her up the pods access ramp, slapping the panel as soon as everyone was on board.  
  
"Aeryn! Get us out of here now!" Crais yelled. The pod lifted, moving fast down the wash and back up into space. He stared at Morgan as Kira jerked her arm free, running to the front where DK and Jack waited. "Are you harmed?" Crais asked softly. Crichton had followed Kira, leaving them alone.  
  
"No, I'm okay. But the transponder's frelled."  
  
Crais turned her around and she pulled her hair to the side, letting him examine what was left of the neural transponder. "Talyn, prepare another interface for Morgan, exactly like mine," he commanded.  
  
Morgan looked at him. "Is that such a good idea?" she asked as she moved into his arms.  
  
Crais smiled at her. "You have fixed all the problems and…added a few new features. I cannot foresee any difficulties." He saw Kira walk past, her eyes shooting daggers at Morgan. "I am afraid your friend is…"  
  
"Pissed at me," Morgan finished with a sigh. She laid her head against his chest, comforted by the steady thump-thump of his heart and his strong arms around her.  
  
"There is…no possible way you and Crichton can remain on Earth now," he whispered.  
  
"That's okay. I never intended on staying," she answered.  
  
  
  
Morgan slipped out of their quarters, leaving Crais asleep, sprawled across their bed. She walked quietly up the corridor, scratching the back of her neck where the new transponder rested, smiling at Talyn's soft query. The bridge doors slid open as she approached and Morgan proceeded straight to the system's console, watching the as the lights registered normal. She stretched, her mind still on the lovemaking between herself and Crais as soon as they returned to the gunship. A sound behind her prompted Morgan to spin around, her pulse pistol immediately in her hand. She lowered it, sighing. "Jeez, Kira," Morgan said, holstering the weapon.  
  
Kira glared at her angrily, her brown eyes flashing. "Planning on shooting me next?" she snapped nastily.  
  
Morgan rolled her eyes. "Give me a break, Kira."  
  
Kira walked towards Morgan, studying her, stopping just outside of Morgan's reach. "You killed a human, Morgan. One of your own species in cold blood. What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, her voice rising in fury.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Morgan retorted. She reached back and popped the transponder from it's cradle, engaging the privacy mode. "I just saved your frelling life!"  
  
"You killed a person!" she bellowed back, stepping forward.  
  
"Really? Tell me something I don't know! What'd you want me to do? Stand there and let him shoot you? Or John? Any of us?" Morgan ran her fingers through her hair. "Kira, if I didn't shoot him, we'd all be in jail and Talyn an experiment for our wonderful and incredibly stupid science community!"  
  
Kira stared at her in shock. "You've changed Morgan," she stated softly.  
  
"I've changed?" Morgan nodded, licking her lips. "Okay. You want see why?" In a flash, Morgan had grabbed Kira, swinging her around and pinning her between the system's console and herself, a fistful of Kira's hair in her hand. She popped the transponder back in place, activating the clamshell before them. "Let me show you just what John and I have been up against," she hissed angrily.  
  
"Morgan, let go," Kira begged.  
  
Morgan shook her head. "Oh, no." She held Kira tight, letting the images flow slowly across the clamshell. "See him," she said softly, incensed. "That's Scorpius. He's the biggest reason John is on the run in the Uncharted Territories. He wants the wormhole technology." The image shifted again, the face of a Scarren appearing. Morgan looked at Kira. "Don't you dare close your eyes," she hissed. She waited until Kira opened them. "That is a Scarren. Those bastards captured and tortured Crais shortly after I showed up. They are the biggest threat Earth has." Morgan kept shifting the images, showing Kira exactly what she had gone through.  
  
"Morgan, stop it, please," Kira begged, tears slipping down her cheeks.  
  
She let her go, stepping back away from Kira. Morgan pointed at her. "If you had been in my shoes, I sincerely doubt you'd be the same too." She shook her head. "I live every day on the run. All of us, Talyn included, are wanted in the Uncharted Territories. And not just by the Peacekeepers."  
  
Kira wiped her face brusquely. "Then stay here."  
  
Morgan snorted. "It's not that simple." She rubbed her eyes and then pointed towards the viewport. "Earth is not ready for what is out there and you are defenseless against races like the Scarrens and their allies." Her breath came fast, the adrenalin pumping through her veins. "We're the only chance you have of keeping Earth safe," she emphasized.  
  
Kira looked down at the deck, unable to meet Morgan's gaze. "It doesn't justify what happened today," she said softly.  
  
"I never said it did. I didn't enjoy it, Kira." She exhaled, running her fingers through her hair. "But you tell me what choice I had."  
  
Kira looked up at her. "I could never have done it."  
  
"Never say never, Kira."  
  
Something in the way Morgan spoke made Kira study her. It was the same Morgan she had grown up with standing before her, but she presented herself differently. She was more mature, more confident, more in control of herself than Kira had ever known her to be. Gone was the questioning soul Morgan had been, a stronger woman in her place. Kira realized that Morgan was right. "So now what happens?"  
  
Morgan moved back to the system's console. "Tomorrow I'm gonna try to hack into the Scarren's database and get the worm hole formula." She looked up at the moon that floated before her. "And go home."  
  
"Part of me wants to go, too," Kira whispered.  
  
Morgan's eyes met her. "I know." Her jaw set, blue eyes hardening against the temptation of taking Kira with them. "But you can't." Morgan stormed off the bridge, never noticing Crais standing in the shadows of the corridor.  
  
Kira sighed, the tears slipping down her face as she began to softly sob, laying her head on the console.  
  
Crais watched silently, letting the human woman cry for a moment before stepping onto the bridge. "It…is not all bad, Kira," he said softly, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
Kira stood up, quickly wiping the tears away. "What's happened to her?"  
  
Crais smiled gently. "Crichton and Morgan have seen things that maybe no human has been prepared to see. And…both of them…have shown Aeryn and I another way to…exist. A way we were forbidden most of our lives." He reached back, grasping his transponder. "Let me show you something." The clamshell sprang to life. "What…Morgan did not share with you…is the beauty of the worlds and some of the…gentler races in the Uncharted Territories." He looked down at Kira. "Look," he encouraged, motioning to the clamshell with his head.  
  
Kira hiccupped once and turned her gaze to the clamshell, letting Crais show her what Morgan hadn't.  
  
Morgan had returned to the quarters she shared with Crais to find him gone, wanting nothing more than to forget the argument in his arms. She sat on the bed, her heart finally slowing down as she searched the gunship for him, finding him on the bridge with Kira. She heard what he had said and her face crumbled. She was not the only one who had changed. Morgan let the link go, turning on the bed to lay her face in the pillows, letting herself cry for what she had lost and what she gained.  
  
Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
Morgan sat at Crais' desk, her eyes gritty from staring at the clamshell. She leaned back and rubbed them, pinching the bridge of her nose where a headache was setting in. Every time she thought she had managed to break into the Scarren's network, another barrier repelled her. She leaned forward, tapping the console, her eyes scanning the information before her. Morgan was sure she was just missing something simple.  
  
Crais walked in and stopped, staring at her. He shook his head, stepping up behind her. "You have been at this for two solar days. Stop for a few arns," he commanded, laying his hands on her shoulders. She was tense, her muscles like taut strings beneath his fingers.  
  
She had Talyn move to a different system, the clamshell changing before her. "I can't stop. We are running out of time," she answered, reaching up to lay one hand over his, her eyes still scanning the screen.  
  
Crais sighed. "If you do not rest, it will not make a difference. You'll be too tired to do any of us good...and you are aware that it will take all of us to destroy the dreadnaught," he replied in an authoritative tone.  
  
Morgan leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes. "I know," she conceded. "It's just frustrating." She stood up, stretching, arching her back like a cat.  
  
He smiled at her, turning her to face him. "Yes, it is." Crais leaned down and kissed her hungrily, pulling her up against him, making sure she was aware of his needs. "The Scarrens...have not made any moves. I would say they are...still collecting data. A few arms will not matter," he whispered against her lips.  
  
Morgan felt her resolve fading with each of his kisses, all thoughts of Scarrens gone from her mind. She still had not talked with Kira since the argument and the way things were going, she wasn't going to talk to her tonight either. Morgan closed her eyes, letting her head fall back as Crais trailed his mouth down her neck, his hands like brands against the small of her back.  
  
The Captain had been slowly pushing Morgan towards the bed, the fingers of his right hand deftly unbuttoning the denim shirt she was wearing. "And...I need a few arns with you." He pushed the shirt back off her shoulders, letting his fingers trail the soft fabric down her arms. "I do not like having the share you all of the time," he remarked.  
  
Morgan smiled, pulling the black tank top she was wearing under the shirt over her head. "Poor baby," she whispered, reaching out to tug at the cord that held Crais' hair, letting it slip from her fingers as she pulled his lips to hers, their eyes locked in hungry need. Morgan thread her fingers through his hair, holding tightly to him as their kisses grew more passionate. "You won't have to share me for much longer," she gasped.  
  
Crais lowered her to the bed. "On the contrary. I will have to share you as long as Crichton is aboard Talyn," he commented, trailing his lips down her stomach, gently nipping at her. "And...I intend to find some place quiet for...us to disappear to once the dreadnaught is destroyed and Crichton and Officer Sun are...back aboard Moya," he finished, his brown eyes meeting hers. "Some place where not even Scorpius could find us if he wanted too."  
  
Morgan suddenly sat up, causing Crais to lose his balance and land on the floor. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's it! You're a genius!" She grabbed the closest shirt, Crais', which was still warm from his body, and tugged it over her head as she moved towards the door. "That's it!" she giggled.  
  
"Morgan! Where are you going?" Crais demanded, jumping to his feet and following her, bare-chested, hair flying like a madman.  
  
"I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder, moving quickly towards John and Aeryn's quarters.  
  
"Morgan!" Crais yelled as she took off into a jog, rounding the turn out of his sight. In a momentary fit, Crais rammed his fist in the bulkhead. Fuming, he continued after her.  
  
Morgan slid to a halt outside Crichton's quarters. "John! Hey John!" She banged on the door.  
  
Crichton released the lock and stared at her, wearing nothing but his shorts and a sleepy look. "You crack it?" he simply asked, blinking.  
  
"No. I need you to chat with Harvey. I need to know how to bypass their firewalls," she said excitedly.  
  
Crichton stared at her, his brain still fuzzy from sleep. All he wanted to do was crawl back in bed and he glanced at Aeryn's sleeping form over his shoulder. "What?"  
  
"I need you to ask the clone..."  
  
He turned back to her. "I got that part. What makes you think he knows?" He heard an animalistic growl from up the corridor and looked, seeing an extremely annoyed Crais approaching them, a scowl on his face. Crichton looked back at his cousin, noticing she had on the Captain's shirt. He briefly scrubbed his face with one hand. "Morgan, it looks like you picked a hell of time think of this."  
  
Morgan bounced on the balls of her feet in front of him. "Harvey may not know, but maybe he does," she replied. "C'mon John. I need all the help I can get," she pleaded.  
  
Crichton looked back and forth between his cousin and Crais, who had stopped a few feet away from them. He noticed Crais clenching and unclenching his fists and the narrowed eyes boring invisible holes into Morgan. "Right now?"  
  
"In the morning will be fine, Crichton," Crais answered through clenched teeth.  
  
"No!" Morgan moved towards her cousin. "The Scarrens could try something and..."  
  
"And Talyn will alert us if they do," Crais interjected loudly in frustration.  
  
Crichton reached out and patted Morgan's cheek. "Night, night," he simply said, ducking back into his quarters, leaving her on her own.  
  
"John!" She banged on the door. "JOHN! Ugh!" Morgan peered at Crais and turned away from the door, backing away from her lover as he moved towards her. "Uh-oh," she said softly, smiling. "Now, Bialar," she warned pointing at him, trying not to laugh at the enraged Captain, knowing she was in trouble.  
  
Crais never said a word to her as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his arms and forcefully backing her up against the bulkhead, his lips coming down on hers in a bone-crushing kiss that left them both gasping. "Now," he whispered huskily. "I am taking you back to our quarters and anyone who disturbs us will be shot!" He gazed down at her, his eyes tracing the line of her swollen lips. "Do...I...make...myself...clear?" he questioned through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"Yes sir," Morgan answered breathlessly. She knew Crais was right. It could wait until the morning.  
  
"And I forbid you to even think about the Scarren problem until the morning," he ordered, taking her hand and tugging her back to their quarters. "Understood?" he asked, backing her against the door of their quarters as soon as it had closed.  
  
She heard the lock slide home behind her and grinned. "Yes sir."  
  
"Good." Crais kissed her, his body pinning her up against the door as he quickly disrobed his lover, relentlessly making sure Morgan thought about nothing but him.  
  
Crichton didn't have to go looking for the clone in his mind. Scorpius came to him. The human was in the middle of breakfast when it happened the next morning, the kitchen of Talyn shifting suddenly to the Roswell greasy spoon. Crichton dropped his fork, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  
  
Scorpius gazed at the plate of bacon and eggs in front of Crichton, wrinkling his nose. "That does not look very appealing, John," he said, pointing to the plate.  
  
Crichton bit into a piece of bacon, chewing slowly and savoring the flavor. "How would you know?" He swallowed. "Since you're here, what do you know about the Scarren's computer system?"  
  
Scorpius folded his arms on the table, leaning towards Crichton, an amused look on his face. "Morgan having a bit of trouble is she?"  
  
Crichton nodded. "You could say that."  
  
Scorpius smiled. "But I thought you said she could break into any computer system."  
  
"She can," Crichton replied, pointing at Scorpius with another piece of bacon. "On Earth," he amended. He pushed his plate away, leaning forward towards the clone, speaking conspiratorially. "She's not exactly trying to hack a PC, Harvey."  
  
"I'd say not." Scorpius leaned back, pointing to Crichton. "Her problem is that she is thinking like a human."  
  
Crichton rolled his eyes and dropped his head to the table. "Why me?" he whispered. He lifted his head slightly. "How else is she supposed to think?"  
  
"Like a Scarren."  
  
Crichton sat up, taking a sip of his coffee and pointing at Scorpius with his spoon. "That's your department, Scorpy." He wiped his face with the napkin, looking around for something else to eat. "Can you help or not?"  
  
Scorpius folded his arms. "Langtree needs my help and even you have said she can hack into anything." He tapped the tip of his finger against his lips, contemplating. What were the odds the human woman could break into the Scarren computer? She did fix your thermal system, a small voice in the back of his mind piped up. "I'll help her for a price."  
  
Crichton laughed. "A price?" He shook his head, looking at the neural clone in disbelief. "You want me to make a deal with you without Morgan knowing about it? Huh! I'd rather take my chances in your Aurora chair again then have to deal with my cousin and her unbalanced lover when they find out I cut a deal with you for the information."  
  
Scorpius shrugged and stood up. "Have it your way, John." He turned and started to walk up the aisle of the greasy spoon.  
  
Crichton leaned back against the padded booth, his fists clenched to his eyes. He moaned in frustration and followed Scorpius, running to catch up with the neural clone. "Wait!" He knew they didn't have a chance in hell to break into that system without Scorpius' help. Morgan would've done it by now if she could. He grabbed the clone's arm. "What exactly do you want?"  
  
Scorpius turned and looked at him. "I haven't quite decided yet. You know, John, there is just an endless amount of things I could ask for, such as the worm hole formula, a gunship, all the Scarrens dead..."  
  
Crichton slapped his forehead. "Scorpius!"  
  
The clone stopped his rambling and smiled, wrapping his arm around Crichton's shoulders as if they were the best of friends. "This is what she needs to do..."  
  
Morgan stared at Crichton in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me. That's what he said?" Her nose wrinkled as she said it.  
  
Crichton nodded. He leaned against the bulkhead wondering just how he was going to tell her about the "deal" he made with Scorpius' clone. Maybe he wouldn't. "Yup. That's what he said."  
  
Morgan folded her arms, her mouth hung open. She quickly shut it. "John, that's the oldest trick in the book. I'd like to think the Scarrens are a bit smarter than that."  
  
"It is obviously...the only option you have not tried," Crais commented.  
  
Morgan tilted her head and glared at her lover. "Because it's stupid."  
  
"And we know just how trustworthy Scorpius is," Aeryn said sarcastically. She sat down at the table, her breakfast before her.  
  
"I can understand Morgan not trying it. It's not the first thing I would've tried," DK piped up from next to Crichton.  
  
The cousin's stared at DK, incredulous looks on their faces. "DK, backdating a computer and initiating a system reboot is the first thing you would've done," Crichton contradicted.  
  
Morgan rolled her eyes, looking up to the ceiling, shaking her head. She reached out and snatched an apple off the table, biting into it, pointing at Crichton. "Did his royal scar face clue you in as to how far we need to backdate the system?"  
  
Crichton slipped next to Aeryn at the table, poking at his now cold and gelled breakfast. He sighed. "You need to take it back to the day we followed them through the wormhole." He looked up at Morgan, noticing the expression that darkened Crais' face. "What? You don't think Morgan can do it!" he accused.  
  
Crais stared at him, stroking his goatee. "I am positive Morgan and Talyn can break into the system. That is not my concern." He began to pace. "My concern is..." He looked at Morgan, then to Crichton and Aeryn. "...how we are going to destroy the dreadnaught once we lure it back to the Uncharted Territories."  
  
Jack and Kira chose that moment to walk in. The elder Crichton gazed at his son. "I think we might have the answer to that question, Captain Crais," Jack replied. Six pairs of eyes turned to look at Jack. "You remember the explosion field tests you were working on?" he asked Morgan.  
  
"Yeah. Why?"  
  
Jack smiled as Kira sat across from Crichton at the table. "Once you bring down the Scarren's system, you can reprogram it, causing the energy generators to implode. You've done it before."  
  
"What?" Crichton looked at Morgan for explanation.  
  
Morgan scratched the back of her neck. "I briefly worked on a project that would allow astronauts to self-destruct a satellite before it could reenter Earth's atmosphere. It was supposed to be a simple cybernetic exercise, but I lost the funding before we could actually test it."  
  
"Does it work?" Aeryn asked, shifting in her seat.  
  
"In theory. It worked in the simulator tests." She shrugged. "I can't guarantee that it will work in real life."  
  
Kira looked at her friend. They had barely said more than two words to each other since the argument. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," she said quietly. "What have you got to lose, Morgan?"  
  
Talyn had been listening to the exchange and finally piped up, chirping excitedly. "I concur Talyn. We would have to starburst to safety as soon as the code has been entered." Crais peered at her. "Which ...leads me to another problem. Once we create the wormhole and return home, how do we keep the formula from falling into Scorpius' hands?" Crais' eyes locked with Morgan's. "He will come after us," his voice echoed softly in her mind. "And I refuse to let him get you and force you into..."  
  
Morgan's face grew grim and she shook her head, turning on one foot and walking out.  
  
Crichton whirled around in his seat and looked at Crais. "What the frell did you say to her?" he snapped, standing and grabbing the Captain's arm as he started to follow Morgan.  
  
Crais looked at him. "Nothing she has not already thought of," he answered softly.  
  
Crichton found Morgan in Talyn's maintenance bay, running through an exercise routine he had seen Aeryn perform hundreds of times since arriving in the Uncharted Territories. He leaned against the bulkhead, silently watching her, trying to imagine Crais teaching her the moves. He sighed, pushing the mental image away. "You do realize it's going to take both of us to pull this off," he casually commented, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he approached her.  
  
Morgan turned on the ball of her foot, never losing her rhythm. "Yup. I didn't want to ask you."  
  
He sat on the edge of the mat, drawing up one knee and leaning his arm on it. "Morgan, we have to destroy the formula once we use it."  
  
She sighed, plopping down on the mat next to him. She could see the worry on his face. "I know. I've been thinking about it and Talyn actually came up with a workable idea, but it is kind of risky."  
  
Crichton looked at her. "How risky?" She just looked at him. "Okay, what's the idea?"  
  
Morgan pulled the ponytail holder from her hair, shaking her head and letting her hair fan around her face. "He suggested that Crais engages the privacy mode on his transponder when we bring the formula in so that only Talyn and I are exposed to it. Once the dreadnaught is destroyed, I can wipe it from Talyn's memory banks."  
  
"Yeah, but you'll still have it in..." Crichton gazed at his cousin and realized what she was implying. "You're not...don't you think...isn't that a bit a dangerous?" he finally sputtered.  
  
Morgan shrugged, clasping her wrists around her propped up knee. "I'd rather lose a day or two of memories than play with Scorpius' Aurora chair." She stared at Crichton. "I don't scare easily, John, but..." Morgan involuntarily shuddered. "Especially after the stories you and Bialar have told me."  
  
Crichton ran his fingers through his hair, looking away, gazing around the maintenance bay. "Not me, Morgan. I'd rather have the memories. Especially the other Cricht..." He realized what he had said and wondered how much further he could stick his foot in his mouth.  
  
Morgan twisted a piece of hair around her finger, trying not to smile. "Did you honestly think you could keep your `twin' a secret?" she asked gently. She shook her head. "I mean, the last time I checked I was a bright, intelligent woman who was always very good at doing puzzles. And I can see where some pieces simply don't fit."  
  
Crichton laughed at the look on her face and fell backwards, arms sprawled on the mat. He closed his eyes. "I should've told you."  
  
Morgan shrugged, stretching out next to him on her belly, swinging her feet behind her like a little kid. "It would've been nice."  
  
He lifted his head, his eyes hard. "Captain Crunch told you, didn't he?"  
  
Morgan shook her head, reaching out to push him. "No, silly. Captain Crunch did not tell me." She leaned her chin back on her hand. "Talyn told me." Crichton looked at her, eyebrows raised in question. "You didn't make him promise not to tell."  
  
He sighed and rolled onto his side, propping his head up on one arm. "When are we going to do this?"  
  
"Talyn and I are going to try again tonight. Once we get the formula, 48 arns and we're heading out."  
  
Crichton looked down, pushing a piece of lint he'd discovered on the mat with his finger. "I figured you'd want to spend time with Kira."  
  
Morgan gazed at the wall and then stood up. "I do, but there's too much to get done." She held her hand out to her cousin. "And we are running out of time."  
  
Crais stepped quietly into their quarters and stopped, surprised to find Morgan already there. He had left her alone after she had walked out of the Talyn's dining area, knowing exactly where she was headed. As a matter of fact, he was the one who told Crichton where to find her. He laid his jacket on the back of the desk chair, glancing at her. She stood by the viewport, her hair pulled up in a simple clip, her head slightly cocked to one side as she watched Earth slowly turn before her. He smiled to himself at her stance, her arms folded, feet planted firmly apart. Crais was beginning to think he was rubbing off on her. He stepped up behind her, gently laying his hands on her shoulders. "Are you...sure this is what you want?" he asked quietly.  
  
Morgan reached up and took his hands in hers, leaning back against him. "Stop asking me that, Bialar. The answer is not going to change." She tilted her head slightly, letting his goatee rub against her cheek. "I wouldn't trade a life on Earth for what I have here with you."  
  
Crais nodded, gazing over her shoulder at the blue and white orb below. "It is...beautiful," he admitted.  
  
Morgan nodded. "But vulnerable."  
  
Crais turned her in his arms. "Yes...but it has...a protector," he replied, pulling the clip from her hair, entwining his fingers in it. With a firm tug, he tilted her head back, kissing her deeply.  
  
"Mmm," she answered as Crais' lips drifted down her neck. "It has more then me." The Captain looked up at her. "It also has my cousin and two Ex-Peacekeepers." Morgan smiled and reached out, grasping Crais' chin in her hand, drawing his lips back to hers. She didn't know when they'd get another chance to find some quiet time together.  
  
The Scarren Captain glared at his communications officer. "Double check it. I want nothing to interfere with this mission." He looked back to the viewport watching as the strange planet the human's called Neptune rotated before his dreadnaught. He tapped his clawed hand on the command chair, an annoying gnawing at his gut. Something was not right. They had been there seven solar days and had seven left to go before recreating the wormhole to return home.  
  
"It did it again."  
  
The Captain walked over to look at the display, gazing at the static that seemed to come and go for no apparent reason. "Isolate the signal," he responded. "And neutralize it."  
  
Morgan was sweating, her tank top ringing wet from the exertion it took to keep Talyn focused as she and Crichton hacked into the Scarren system. She weaved her way around the wires and conduits, circuit boards and memory chips of the dreadnaught until she had found what she wanted and began the download. The gunship chirped as the last of the data filtered in.  
  
"Got it!" Crichton called, the light on the system panel going from red to white. The data had flowed by on the clamshell so fast that he couldn't even begin to comprehend what he was seeing. But the look on Morgan's face was enough to tell him that she knew how to do it. His cousin knew how to create a stable wormhole. "Are you okay?" he asked as she staggered away from the console and dropped to her knees. He laid his hand on her back as he crouched next to her.  
  
Morgan rested her forehead on the cool deck, letting her mind relax. She nodded at Crichton's question. "Yeah, but we need to go." They were the only two on the bridge.  
  
He looked at her, leaning to the side to gaze at her face as he pushed a wet strand of hair from her cheek. "Morgan? What's the matter?"  
  
She sat up and leaned back on her heels, wiping the sweat away from her eyes. "The Scarren's know something is wrong. They almost found my signal." Blue eyes met blue. "We're going to have do this tomorrow. We can't wait another day."  
  
Crichton rubbed his chin. "What about ditching the formula? You haven't tested the theory yet. There's no guarantee that Talyn can wipe it from your mind." He shook his head, dropping his arm across his knee. "And how are we going to implode the dreadnaught?"  
  
Morgan exhaled, shivering slightly as she stood up. "We'll have to do it on the fly, I guess." She looked at him and shrugged. "Not that that's anything new to us."  
  
"No kidding," he replied. Crichton wrapped his arm around her shoulder, hugging her. "We better say our goodbyes."  
  
Crais looked at Aeryn, popping the transponder from its cradle and sliding it into the pocket of his uniform jacket as he slid it on, quickly fastening it. "She will never forgive me for this...but it had to be done."  
  
Aeryn folded her arms, staring at her former superior. "Are you sure Morgan has no idea that you didn't engage the privacy mode?"  
  
Crais looked at Aeryn, his eyes flashing. "I am positive. Only Talyn knows." He approached her, stopping merely inches away. "And you, Officer Sun. Not even Crichton will be informed. Understood?"  
  
Aeryn drew herself up to her full height. "Yes sir," she snapped. She watched as Crais turned and stalked from his quarters and followed him, quickly catching up with him. The smell of food drifted through the corridor. "Crais?"  
  
Crais turned and stopped at her voice. "Yes Aeryn?"  
  
She stopped and stared at him, hands propped on her hips. "Are you sure Talyn will be able to clear the information from Morgan's mind?"  
  
He contemplated her, knowing that Aeryn was just as concerned over the whole matter as he and the others. The only one that didn't seem worried about it was Morgan. "I do not know. But...I will not allow Morgan to be the only one vulnerable if...Talyn cannot erase the formula."  
  
"Then you did it for her," Aeryn softly challenged.  
  
"Yes." His voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "And I will sit in the Aurora chair in her place if need be." He turned on one foot and marched up the corridor.  
  
Aeryn stared after him, leaning against the bulkhead. "I'm sure you would," she whispered to herself. She heard footsteps behind her and glanced over her shoulder. "Well, is it done?"  
  
"Yup." Crichton leaned his hand against the bulkhead next to her. "But, we'll have to create it in the morning."  
  
"Why?" Aeryn looked up at him, her eyes questioning and concerned.  
  
Crichton sighed. "The Scarren's almost found Morgan's signal. They don't know what it's from, but I can bet they know they're not the only ones here." He leaned down and kissed her, stroking her chin with his finger.  
  
"Where's Morgan?"  
  
"Resting." Crichton noticed the strange expression on Aeryn's face. He cocked his head to the side. "What's the matter?"  
  
Aeryn looked up the corridor and then turned back to Crichton, smiling. "Nothing. Let's go eat. I'm hungry."  
  
Crichton draped his arm around her shoulders as they made their way to the dining area. His stomach growled and he chuckled. "Yeah, that makes two of us."  
  
Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter 


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
Jack, DK, and Kira looked at Crichton and Morgan, trying very hard not to break down. Kira rubbed her cheek, her fingers coming away damp. Morgan swallowed past the lump in her throat. Crichton shuffled his feet. They had loaded Talyn's transport pod with food and other items they thought the cousins would need, as well as a few extras they knew nothing about. Crais and Aeryn stood to one side, waiting, watching, the pre-dawn breeze crisp as it blew across the compound on Earth.  
  
Kira was the first one to move, embracing Morgan, letting the tears freely flow down her face. "I'm sorry I jumped your shit," she whispered, her voice catching.  
  
"It's okay." Morgan kissed her cheek, letting her go. "I love ya, Kira."  
  
Kira nodded, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Think of me," she managed to get choked out. She turned to Crichton, hugging him as Jack slipped up to his niece.  
  
"Remember your training. You can do this." He chuckled, hugging her tight against him. "Hell, Morgan. You and John can do anything." He looked down at her. "I'm proud of you."  
  
"Thanks, Uncle Jack."  
  
Morgan hugged DK as Jack moved to Crichton. He looked at his son, clapping his hand on his shoulder. "And I'm proud of you too, John. Very proud of you." He looked up at the transport pod. "Here we go again, son."  
  
Crichton hugged his father, handing him a package. "I recorded these for you." He looked away, backing away from Jack. "Maybe one day..." Crichton didn't finish the sentence.  
  
"Maybe," Jack replied.  
  
Crichton reached into his pocket. "I'm...uh...little late in giving this back to you."  
  
Jack looked at the good luck charm he had handed his son that fateful day. He closed Crichton's fingers over it, wrapping both of his hands around Crichton's. "Hold onto it." He smiled and turned away, walking over to Aeryn. He drew the Sebacean woman into his arms. "Take care of him, Aeryn."  
  
"I will," she answered, looking up at Jack. "I'm glad I had the chance to meet you."  
  
Jack smiled down at her. "Me too." He gazed at Crais, offering the Captain his hand. "Crais." He glanced over his shoulder at Morgan. "It's really easy with Morgan. Just keep her happy."  
  
Crais nodded. "I will. Good health to you Jack Crichton," Crais answered, letting go of Jack's hand as Crichton and Morgan approached.  
  
Jack nodded, walking back to stand with Kira and DK, watching as the transport pod lifted, speeding off across the valley, climbing higher into the atmosphere until it appeared as no more than another star in the lightening sky.  
  
"I wonder if we'll ever see them again," DK said softly, holding Kira tightly.  
  
Jack wrapped his arms around them. "Maybe," he whispered. "One day."  
  
Crais stood in the center of Talyn's bridge, taking a last look at his lover's home planet. The tension in the room was palpable and he gazed at the three other humanoids. Morgan stood at the system's panel, Aeryn at propulsion, Crichton at weapons. "Talyn, set course for the edge of the system," Crais commanded, his voice firm in his authority.  
  
The gunship broke orbit, banking away from Earth, picking up speed and shooting towards Pluto. Morgan watched the console before her, nodding in satisfaction, all system's registering normal as the gunship opened up to full throttle. She gazed at Aeryn.  
  
"Propulsion registering normal." Aeryn gazed over to Crichton. "Look like the rewiring worked."  
  
"Starburst has not yet been tested," Crais commented, watching the viewport. He looked at Morgan.  
  
She glared at him. "You would mention that."  
  
Crichton looked at Crais. "The weapons systems are hot and a go."  
  
Crais nodded, the look on his face betraying no nervousness, no worry, as the dreadnaught appeared, growing quickly as they closed the distance. "Talyn, on my command, fire across their bow. Get their attention."  
  
Crichton looked at him in disbelief. "Yeah, that will definitely get their attention."  
  
Morgan's hands flew over the console as they neared. She looked up, her eyes narrowing. The wormhole formula was ready. Mentally she counted in her head. 5...4...3...2...1...  
  
"Talyn! Open fire!" Crais yelled.  
  
Laser fire from Talyn's main battery streaked through space, flying across the Scarren's bow as he flew past them, sharply banking towards the furthest edge of the galaxy. "Dreadnaught armed and targeting. Pursuit course has been initiated," Morgan reported.  
  
Crais waited, listening and coordinating with Talyn. He looked at his lover, their eyes meeting. "Now."  
  
Morgan's hand slapped the console. Before them, a thousand metras out, a wormhole began to form, the swirling blue lights spinning faster, growing brighter, it's gravitational pull strengthening with each microt. Morgan looked at Crichton, her eyebrows raised in question. He nodded in affirmation. The buzzing in his head was back. Talyn flew straight to the center of the wormhole like an arrow released from a bow. The dreadnaught followed right behind, firing at them.  
  
Talyn shook once, momentarily rocking the bridge. Morgan grabbed tight to the console. She looked over the panel as they sped back to the Uncharted Territories. "John! Take over!" she yelled, backing away from the panel.  
  
"Morgan! What are you doing?" he asked, moving past her. He gazed at Crais, who simply shook his head, confused as the human.  
  
Morgan had moved to stand next to Crais, grasping the transponder at the base of her neck with both hands, closing her eyes, letting herself slip into the backdoor she had left within the Scarren's computer system. Talyn shook again under the dreadnaught's canon fire and she lost her balance, Crais catching her.  
  
The wormhole opened up into the blackness of space.  
  
Morgan found the power system on the dreadnaught and began the shutdown as they barreled through the wormhole behind Talyn.  
  
Chaos began to flow through the dreadnaught's bridge as power conduits and circuits began to blow.  
  
Morgan counted to ten and opened the fuel chambers, pulling out of the Scarren's system, Talyn pulling her back to the ship. She looked up at Crais, who still held her, her whole body shuddering from the exertion.  
  
"What did you do?" he asked as Talyn came around, facing the dreadnaught.  
  
She caught her breath, her heart beating in her chest wildly. "I shut down their system, and remixed the fuel so it would implode when they fired the system back up."  
  
The Scarren dreadnaught came to a full stop, the running lights aboard the ship going out as all power was lost. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday," Aeryn remarked dryly.  
  
An explosion burst from the aft end of the ship, another following behind it. "Talyn, fire all main batteries," Crais commanded. The gunship fired, targeting the dreadnaught.  
  
The board in front of Crichton began to blink. "Hey guys, we got company."  
  
Both Morgan and Crais looked at him. "Identify."  
  
Aeryn looked over at the console, peering over Crichton's shoulder, immediately recognizing the signal. "Peacekeeper."  
  
"Talyn! Initiate starburst now!" Morgan called.  
  
They turned back to the exploding dreadnaught as Talyn began to move away, picking up speed. Fragments of the huge dreadnaught flew past briefly as the gunship paused in time...  
  
And stopped.  
  
"What the..." Crichton looked at Morgan.  
  
Crais quickly moved through the systems.  
  
"Peacekeeper command group has entered the system and are one hundred metras and closing," Aeryn reported.  
  
"Talyn, starburst now!" Crais demanded. "Do not argue! You must starburst now!"  
  
Morgan looked up at her lover. "He can't. Damn it, Crais, the system was never connected."  
  
"What? How....Oh never mind. I thought Leviathans could do this anytime they wanted?" Crichton yelled.  
  
"Carrier group fifty metras and closing," Aeryn called.  
  
"They still need to have the power systems operational," Morgan exclaimed. She tried to move forward but stumbled. Crichton pushed her back into Crais' arms.  
  
"Aeryn, let's go fix this!" Crichton called. He started to turn towards the bridge doors when the clamshell sprang to life.  
  
"Well done! Well done!" Scorpius said, clapping, a very smug Lieutenant Braca standing behind him. Scorpius looked right at Crais and Morgan.  
  
"We're frelled," she whispered. Her eyes locked with Crais' as the carriers encircled Talyn.  
  
Talyn's crew walked down the access ramp, six armed Peacekeepers in front of and behind them. Their weapons had been confiscated, Talyn a "guest" in Scorpius' landing bay. Braca met them at the exit into the corridor, a satisfied look on his face that Morgan and Crais both wanted to erase. The Lieutenant spun on one foot without saying a word and led them down the corridor to a conference chamber.  
  
Scorpius sat waiting for them, six of the guards following them in the room, fanning out as they stared at the scientist. "How was Earth?" he asked pleasantly.  
  
Crais and Crichton exchanged glances. "Just the way I left it, Scorpy. What do you want?" Crichton snapped.  
  
"What I always want," Scorpius answered. He motioned for them to sit. "Please." He waited until they had taken seats around the lower end of the table, Crais and Morgan on one side, Crichton and Aeryn across from them. "Now maybe you understand the danger the Scarrens and their allies pose."  
  
"I think we figured that out," Crichton replied, leaning an elbow in the table, tapping his lips with his fingers.  
  
"Good." Scorpius stood up, bracing his hands on the table in front of him, leaning forward. "I found out that you had some help from my neural clone. I believe it's now time for you to keep your end of the deal," he remarked, looking at Morgan.  
  
"What deal?" Crais hissed, glaring at Crichton, his head tilted at a questioning angle.  
  
Scorpius walked around the table, slowly traversing the room behind them and stopping between Crais and Morgan. He laid one hand on the back of Morgan's neck, exerting just enough pressure to keep her still.  
  
"What did you do?" she softly asked Crichton in resignation. Their eyes met, Crichton's pleading with her.  
  
Crais growled deep in the back of throat and grabbed Scorpius' wrist, launching himself from his seat. He slammed the scientist back against the bulkhead before any of the guards could comprehend what was happening. A gleaming knife had appeared in Crais' hand and he held it to Scorpius' throat. "You...leave...her...alone...or...I ...will... kill... you," he snarled through clenched teeth.  
  
The guards behind Crichton and Aeryn had immediately trained their weapons on them, stopping them as the other four moved towards Crais and Scorpius. Morgan sprang from the chair, putting herself between the Peacekeepers and her lover. "Bialar let him go."  
  
Crais never looked away from Scorpius. "I will not let him..."  
  
"Dammit Crais. Let him go!" she hollered, her eyes locked with the middle guard, noticing his itchy trigger finger.  
  
The nervousness in her usually calm voice was enough to convince him to release Scorpius. He sheathed his blade with one hand while pulling Morgan to him with the other in one swift motion.  
  
Scorpius smiled as he rubbed his neck. "Your cousin did what he had to do to save your planet. You would've done the same thing." He pointed to the guards and they lowered their weapons. The guard with the itchy trigger finger grasped Morgan's arm, jerking her out of Crais' grasp, pushing her out of the room as the other two restrained the Captain.  
  
"Let her go!" Aeryn yelled, standing up, slamming her hands on the table.  
  
Crichton stood up and started for the scientist. "Scorpius! Get her back..." He was cut short when one of the guards that had been standing behind him slammed the butt of his pulse pistol into the back of Crichton's head, dropping the human.  
  
Aeryn knelt next to him. "You bastard!"  
  
Scorpius looked at her. "Yes, I am," he replied with an evil chuckle. "Take Commander Crichton and Officer Sun back to the gunship and keep them there." He noticed Aeryn's questioning glance as the guards dragged Crichton to his feet, half carrying, half dragging him from the room.  
  
Crais struggled against the guards holding him. "What are you going to do to them?"  
  
Scorpius walked over to him, standing just inches away. "That depends on you Crais. You see, the neural clone never told John what I wanted, because I honestly wasn't sure you would succeed in getting the formula, let alone getting back to the Uncharted Territories and destroying the dreadnaught." He shrugged. "But now...now I have both you and Langtree. And what I want, only you..." he poked Crais in the chest in emphasis, "...can give me."  
  
Crais' eyes narrowed defiantly. "And that is?"  
  
Scorpius reached behind Crais, grabbing a hold of the transponder and popping it from its cradle. He turned the transponder in his fingers between them. "I want a ship like Talyn."  
  
Crichton rubbed the back of his neck, the goose egg the pulse pistol had left sore under his fingers. "Man, she's going to kill me," he moaned.  
  
"Mmm, only if Crais does not get to you first." She helped him stand, easing him gently against the bulkhead as she inspected the knot on his neck. "What were you thinking?"  
  
Crichton glanced at her. "I was trying to save our asses, Aeryn." He moved away from her, starting up the corridor towards Talyn's bridge. "We've got to get the starburst fixed so we can get of here."  
  
"And leave Morgan and Crais?" Aeryn propped her hands on her hips.  
  
He turned and looked at her. "No. We're going to get them first."  
  
"And how do you propose we fix the starburst without either one of them here?"  
  
Crichton shook his head. "I'm not sure, but we'll figure it out."  
  
Morgan was roughly shoved through the door of a holding cell, stumbling forward awkwardly. She threw her hands out, catching herself against the far wall as the door closed behind her. The Peacekeepers had removed the transponder, leaving her feeling disconnected. Morgan leaned her head against the wall, her chest tight, whether from fear or frustration, she couldn't tell.  
  
The door opened behind her and she turned as Crais was thrust in the cell with her. Immediately, the Captain pulled her into his arms. "Are you alright?" he whispered in her hair. Scorpius had gotten smart, stripping Crais of his uniform jacket and hidden weapons. Morgan held tightly to him, her hands clenched in the fabric of his shirt. He looked down at her, noticing the dread that filled her eyes, the only thing that gave him any indication that his usually strong and stubborn human lover was terrified.  
  
"He's going to..."  
  
"No." He stroked her face. "Not unless...I cooperate." He held her face in her hands.  
  
"Bialar, I'm scared," she whispered. He knew it took a lot for her to admit that. Fear was not something Morgan Langtree was used to. But the entire concept of Scorpius' Aurora chair...that was another whole thing. And Crais was the only one she would show her true feelings to.  
  
"I know." He ducked his head, catching her eyes and holding them. "If you have learned nothing else from me over the last cycle, I know you have learned to think like a Peacekeeper. That is what I need you to do." She nodded, exhaling the breath neither of them had realized she had been holding. "Push everything else aside, Morgan." Crais pulled her tight against him.  
  
The door opened, Braca's form filling the entrance. He crossed his arms, staring at them. "How touching," he commented snidely.  
  
Morgan's eyes narrowed. "Jealous?" she snapped.  
  
Crais tried not to smile as he tightened his arms around Morgan protectively. "What do you want?"  
  
Braca stared at them. "Scorpius has more suitable accommodations for you, although personally I think both of you could rot in here." He turned, motioning for them to follow, taking them through the carrier.  
  
Morgan looked at Crais. "You know, Braca must not have had many friends as a child. He doesn't play well with others." She saw his back straighten at her comment and began to feel better about being a prisoner. Braca shot her glance and left, leaving them in the quarters Scorpius so graciously provided them.  
  
Crais moved further into the room as the door locked behind them. "V.I.P. quarters," he remarked sarcastically to Morgan.  
  
She looked around the room, surprised that Scorpius allowed them the luxury. "Okay, what does he want?" she asked softly, running her fingers around the rim of the table, looking for bugs. She noticed Crais doing the same thing, meeting him in the middle of the room when they were both satisfied it was not bugged.  
  
Crais moved slowly towards her. "He wants me to...breed...another Leviathan like Talyn."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Crais nodded, rubbing his temple with his forefinger. "As long as I...agree...to do as he asks...he will leave you alone and allow...Crichton and Officer Sun to leave with Talyn."  
  
"Crais we'll be stranded here."  
  
He nodded. "For now."  
  
Morgan closed her eyes, sighing, feeling a growing headache and wishing she had a bottle of aspirin. It seemed like forever since they had left Earth, even though it had only been a few arns. "So, you are going to do it."  
  
Crais nodded. "I have no choice, Morgan. I will not let him do to you what...he did to Crichton."  
  
"And you." She looked around the quarters and sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly very tired. She looked back at him and held out her hand. Crais took it, settling on the bed next to her. "Then, I suppose, you give him a gunship," she whispered.  
  
Crais stretched out on the bed, pulling Morgan against him. He kissed her gently, a smile on his lips. "Oh...we will give him a gunship," he whispered against her lips, a plan already forming in his mind. "With...a few surprises."  
  
Morgan leaned back and looked at Crais curiously, his smile contagious. "Just a few surprises? Why not just rig it blow at some unfortunate time?"  
  
Crais' smile grew even wider as he pulled her down to him. "See, now you're thinking like a Peacekeeper."  
  
"Are you sure? Crais you can't trust him," Crichton argued, looking at the ex-Peacekeeper in the clamshell.  
  
"We have no other choice." He looked away, nodding. "Talyn has agreed with Morgan and I that this is the best course of action. Everything is arranged. When this is done and...Scorpius returns our transponders...then we will find you." Crais' jaw set. "I will let nothing happen to her," he whispered. "Good health to you."  
  
The clamshell went blank and Crichton turned to Aeryn as Talyn burst from the carrier. He shook his head franticly. "We can't just leave them."  
  
"We're not. Talyn, take us just out of sensor range," she called, manning the system's console. The ship seemed empty without Crais and Morgan.  
  
Crichton stepped up behind her. "How long does it take to breed a Leviathan gunship?" he queried quietly.  
  
Aeryn looked at him. "I don't know." She turned back to the view port. "The Peacekeepers locked all of Crais' files when he went renegade. Standard procedure." She paused. "Oh frell!"  
  
Crichton looked up in time to see the carriers disappear, carrying Crais and Morgan to who knew where. "NO!"  
  
Crais stopped just inside the door to the lab, memories flooding his mind. Scorpius had left it exactly the same, changing nothing, leaving everything exactly the way Crais and his team had left it after impregnating Moya with the egg that became Talyn. Coldness spread through him and he glared at Scorpius. "I hope...you are not planning on keeping us prisoner until she gives birth.  
  
Scorpius turned to face him. "If you breed this one the same way you bred Talyn, there will be no need to." He looked at Morgan as she entered behind Crais.  
  
Morgan's face was blank, all expression gone as she looked over the lab. Five steps led down into the chamber, a control collared Leviathan female floating just outside the huge windows. The space lab was somewhere deep into Peacekeeper territory and Crais assured her that he knew exactly where they were.  
  
"Most of the system's and control's packets have been inserted," Scorpius said, moving past Crais towards Morgan. "I have done the preliminary work. Now you must do the rest." He grabbed her arm, leading her away from Crais.  
  
"Langtree stays," Crais replied flatly, turning and clasping his hands behind his back.  
  
"Really Bialar. This human has made you soft."  
  
Morgan jerked her arm free and slammed Scorpius against the wall, one hand around his neck, the other inches away from the regulation unit she had replaced for Scorpius when she had first arrived in the Uncharted Territories.  
  
Crais walked up the steps slowly, shaking his head as he stopped behind Morgan, staring at the scientist. "I would not advise upsetting her. I assure you she is quite capable of killing you."  
  
Scorpius' looked at him. "I doubt it," he croaked. Morgan's hand tightened around his throat.  
  
"So did the human on Earth that she killed," Crais calmly replied.  
  
Scorpius looked at Morgan and then back to Crais. "You'll never get off this station alive."  
  
Morgan grabbed Scorpius by the arm, swinging him around and pushing him down the stairs. She lunged off the steps, landing on the Peacekeeper, her knees capturing his head in a move Aeryn had taught her. She tightened the muscles in her thighs, watching the nervous look in Scorpius' eyes.  
  
Crais easily walked down the stairs and knelt next to Scorpius' head. "Oh, we will, with or without you."  
  
"Get her off me," Scorpius gasped.  
  
"Not until you agree to a new deal. One that I set the terms to," Morgan said, her blue eyes flashing. They had come up with the plan two nights earlier, waiting to catch Scorpius in a mistake, like the one he made when he entered the lab without any security. And the mistake of letting his guard down around Morgan. "Once the Leviathan accepts the egg, you return our transponders, get us the needed clearances to travel back to the Uncharted Territories without any problems and two Prowlers with enough supplies to last a monen so that we can find either Talyn or Moya."  
  
Scorpius chuckled, although it sounded more like a gurgle. "Never!"  
  
Crais stroked his goatee, watching as Morgan laid her hand on the cooling core. He leaned his arm on his knee. "The other option is to kill you," Crais replied. "And then we'll take the Leviathan and leave. I do know how to remove a control collar."  
  
How he had managed to get himself into this predicament, Scorpius could not fathom. And if High Command ever found out that he had not turned Crais in, he'd be in the same boat, hunted and outcast. "Deal."  
  
Morgan stood up, backing away from Scorpius. She glared at the scientist as she walked around him to stand next to Crais, her arms crossed. "Now who's soft?" she simply said.  
  
Scorpius stood up, staring at them. "You will pay for this," he remarked. He turned on one heel and headed up the stairs. "Get to work!" he growled as he stormed through the door, making sure it was locked behind him.  
  
Crais looked down at Morgan and smiled. "Shall we?"  
  
Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter  
  
13 


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

          Kira sat on the bench, staring at the freshly erected gravestone, a single yellow rose in her hand.  She stared at Morgan's name carved into the granite and had to smile at the irony of it.  She wondered where Morgan was, what adventure she had embarked on with her mysterious lover and their unique ship.  Kira wondered if they had even made it back to the Uncharted Territories.

          "Well, at least this will keep you and John safe if you ever return," she whispered.  She looked at the other marker, a few feet away with Crichton's name on it, the other rose she had bought already laying next to it.  "It was the best we could come up with, considering everyone now thinks you're dead."  Kira pulled her leg up, leaning her chin on her knee.  They had been gone three months. It seemed like only yesterday they had been laughing together as they drove into Roswell.

          A car horn beeped behind her and Kira stood up, laying the rose on the gravestone.  "Just be careful Morgan."  She smiled as she turned and met up with DK.

          Scorpius watched the two Prowlers as they flew from the carriers bay.  He smiled to himself.  "Are the tracking beacons in place?" he asked, not even bothering to turn and look at Braca.

          "Yes sir."  The Lieutenant stepped up next to the scientist.  "I still don't understand why you let them go so easily, especially after Langtree almost killed you."

          Scorpius turned and glanced at him.  "Simple.  I let them go and they'll lead me right to Crichton."

          Braca tilted his head, staring at his superior.  "They are not that stupid."

          The scientist shrugged, turning away from the view port and slowly walking up the corridor.  "They are stupid enough to think that I wouldn't figure out that they sabotaged my Leviathan."  He gazed at Braca.  "Oh, come now.  Do you honestly think that after what I did to Crais he would just breed me a gunship?"

          Braca stopped.  "Well, no."  He looked at Scorpius.  "What exactly are you playing at?"

          Scorpius sighed.  "Langtree has the formula in her head.  And if she doesn't, then Talyn has it."

          "You can't count on…"

          Scorpius silenced the lieutenant with a sharp chopping of his hand.  "I could not lay a hand on her with Crais here.  I have to get her out in the open.  Alone."  He shrugged and started walking again.  "Or find Crichton.  Either way, with them separated, it should be easy."  He smiled slightly.  "The affection those two humans have for each other will be enough to convince one of them to give me what I want.  Especially if the other is threatened."

          Braca watched as Scorpius made his way down the corridor.  "You've been saying that it will be easy to get the frelling formula for the better part of five cycles," he mumbled.

          "I will get that formula Braca!  One way or another," Scorpius called over his shoulder.  He turned and stared at the Peacekeeper.  "And I can't do that with High Command investigating me."

          Morgan ran her finger around the collar of the flight suit, trying to get comfortable.  She couldn't see Crais through the canopy, but she knew something was bothering him.  "You know, he let us go too easy," she commented, trying to get him to talk.

          "I concur."

          She looked through the canopy at the Prowler flying just off her left wing.  They had spent three months preparing the Leviathan egg for Scorpius and the pressure had worn both of them thin.  "That's it?  I concur?"  She snorted to herself.  "Crais, what is going on in that head of yours?  You've been sullen since we left."

          Crais looked over the control board in front of him, the coordinates he had set waiting to be transmitted to his lover.  There was no way they would make it back to the Uncharted Territories without a fight.  He'd be foolish to trust Scorpius' clearances and codes.  "Morgan, I think it would be best…if we did not meet up with Crichton and Officer Sun right away."

          Morgan nodded to herself.  "Okay.  That's probably wise."  She scratched her chin.  "What did you have in mind?"  She did not like the strain in his voice.

          Crais reached out and triggered the send sequence.  "I am transmitting our course.  When we land on our final destination, we will destroy the Prowlers."

          She bit her tongue, swallowing the retort she had on the tip of her tongue.  They both knew the Prowlers were being tracked.  "I am going out on a limb here, Bialar, but I take it you have a plan."

          Crais smiled to himself.  "Yes."

          "Mind sharing it with me?"

          "Not yet.  When we land, and we are alone, I will…tell you.  You must trust me, Morgan."  He guided the small fighter onto the new flight plan.

          "I do.  What is this last planet, Crais?"

          Crais steadied his hands.  He had not made this decision lightly.  "Someplace I have not seen in thirty cycles, Morgan."  He took a deep breath, hoping, for her safety and his own, he made the right choice.  "That planet…is my home."

(to be continued…..)

Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter


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